Demon Angels
by MaChaoJustice
Summary: The Scourge of Apokolips should not have been able to do this, but in a twist of fate he found a way into another multiverse. However, even he could not foresee the consequences of his avarice and passion to conquer worlds. Now, he has to reap what he has sown, for he had underestimated the might of a certain warrior race...
1. Demon Angels

**Arc 1: Five Years Ago, Part 1: Demon Angels**

 _~The city of Metropolis~_

Chunks of debris and clouds of dust lined the roads as a young woman navigated the wide streets she knew by heart. Fearful screams of wounded people, honks of cars going way past the speed limit and the occasional tremor of a building being brought down reverberated around every intersection and corridor, but they were drowned out quickly by horrid screeches and heavy flaps of leathery wings. The young woman didn't dare to look behind when one of the monstrous wails sounded a bit too close for comfort. Instead, she quickly discarded her stilettos and raced through the narrow streets to not get noticed by the flying monstrosities.

When she'd run at least a kilometer from the office she was working in, she found a broken down building in of the biggest shopping districts of Metropolis. There, she wiped the dust off her slightly torn pencil skirt and office blouse, while also grabbing a pen and a piece of paper from her purse.

"Okay, Lois. This is _the_ opportunity to get that Pulitzer. What did you just witness?" The woman asked herself between huffs of breath. It took her a few moments to collect herself, but she finally started to write some keywords of her surroundings.

"Grotesque, greenish creatures, crimson portals from hell, massive metal towers, end of the world?" Lois' shaking hand stopped writing momentarily when she peaked from behind the broken window of the store. The ground suddenly rumbled and a flash of an emerald green light obscured her vision for a bit, but when her eyes adjusted she saw a man in a green and black bodysuit battering the skull of one of the creatures with a massive emerald sledgehammer.

"Take that you fuckers! Green Lantern's in the house!" she heard the man exclaim, smugness thick in his voice. Lois spent no time looking back again and continued to write as words of profanity ringed in her ears.

"Green Lantern in Metropolis, generating some kind of light construct to combat the menace from beyond this world."

Lois peaked again and this time noticed that Green Lantern wasn't alone. Strings of yellowish electricity appeared and dissipated just as quickly as something what could only be described as a red blur streaked past the Emerald Knight and took down various demons closing in on him.

"Lantern, we need to save the people of Metropolis, not go for personal glory to impress that Amazon." From the blur a man in a red bodysuit appeared. Sparks of lightning ionized the air around him as Green Lantern narrowed his eyes at him, while crushing the skull of the demon he had been pummelling.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Flash. I called dibs, fair and square. Besides, I know she likes me."

Lois noticed the smug smirk forming on the Lantern's lips, while the one known as the Flash could only shake his head. Lois took the opportunity to scribble some more.

"Central City's very own superhero is here as well." she muttered under her breath as he and Green Lantern argued over what they called an Amazon. Lois pondered the presence of these two masked men. If you could believe the internet and the various news channels on display on the televisions that were still working in the store she was residing in, the entire world was being attacked by demons; Parademons is what people immediately called them. Yet, she saw numerous pictures of the mythical Dark Knight of Gotham out in broad daylight, a rather tall and slightly muscled woman who would appear to be scantily dressed, if not for the rather primitive fashion she wore and an imposing man with scaly armor of gold and sea-green and a trident making the waters on the coast stir. These three were fighting on a turf that was not theirs, yet here they stand. However, the real million dollar question was-

"Why? Is Metropolis the epicenter of the world-wide attacks? No, that can't be right…" Lois mused with frustration as she saw live footage of various places in the world on the different TV's. The Amazonian rainforest was being bombarded by demonic fire, the people of Beijing were running haphazardly away and into each other from gigantic rat-like creatures and England's military were throwing every bit of firepower into the hell-beasts to protect their prime-minister from the carnage.

"Couldn't be Brainiac either, not after _he_ defeated him. Hmm…" Lois looked at one of the TV's again. There was a rather peculiar piece of footage that showed one of the demons wielding some sort of metallic box, while muttering something under his breath.

"That's Metropolis' Bay!" Lois hissed, while immediately getting up on her feet. Small tremors still shook the store she was in, courtesy of the two super men who were still arguing with each other and beating the Parademons to a pulp.

"Jesus Flash, relax! I've got everything under control. See, there are no civilians here to protect so I can just cut loose." The green suited man boasted. Lois sighed upon hearing that and didn't decide to wait for these two to finish up their bickering. She had to go towards the Metropolis Bay, or at least warn Superman of the danger. He would probably know what to do. At first, she wanted to head into the open towards the two heroes, but eventually decided against it. They would probably bring her away from the city, just like they did with most other civilians. No, she needed to be here.

Using the store's emergency exit, she moved out of the building and through various little bystreets where she eventually found her way back in the open. She didn't see the two costumed crime fighters again. Rather, only streaks of green and red were left behind. Both were headed towards the coast, which was exactly where she was about to head. Before she could take another step though, the ground began to shake. She froze when one of the monstrous creatures had landed behind her, but unlike Rexy from Jurassic Park, this crimson-goggled demon could still see her clearly even when she stiffened herself. Slowly, she turned around and saw the monster's razor sharp teeth protruding into a grin.

Lois could only lament her stupidity to get back in the open, but the demon could barely do one step himself as another rumble shook the ground from under her. With a loud crack, the brick tiles gave away and the demon was launched into the air by a streak of red and blue.

Lois sighed in relief as a handsome hunk of a man levitated in front of her and slowly placed his feet on solid ground, barely a second later than when he launched the demon away.

"Don't you think that this is a bit extreme to wander the roads in search of a story?" Superman, Metropolis' hero of justice, asked with a kind smile on his face. His vibrant blue eyes gazed at Lois deeply, while she uncomfortably dusted off her blouse.

"Well, someone has to tell the people what's happening right now." the Daily Planet journalist retorted back. "And I'm not the kind of gal that would run away if there's only a tiny bit of danger in the air."

Superman could only shake his head with a smile as Lois began to scribble some more on her piece of paper, before her eyes glazed back at him.

"Tell me, Superman, is there anything you could tell me about the sudden appearance of these... Aliens? And why are so many super powered heroes fighting in Metropolis, while the whole world is under attack?" Lois stressed 'Alien' very carefully, particularly because the man in the azure blue bodysuit, crimson cape and belt and a symbolic S on his chest was in fact an alien himself. Superman however, didn't take it in stride. Rather, before she knew it, she was suddenly scooped up in his broad arms.

"Hey, what's the big idea!" Lois shouted furiously as the g-forces battered her when she was dragged into the sky. Superman however, could only smile mischievously. When they finally came to a stop way up in the sky, he began to speak.

"The Batman of Gotham told me that these 'Parademons' come from some kind of portal with a very specific tune when they appear. It's as if the portals themselves roar the word 'boom'. I can hear them from all across the planet, but most are gathered here in Metropolis for some reason."

Lois listened intently as Superman told her what he knew. At times like this she found it difficult to focus, particularly because the Man of Steel was exceptionally handsome. His looks were easily comparable with celebrities like Bruce Wayne, but unlike the playboy billionaire, Superman's eyes shone with kindness and sincerity. He truly wanted to help the people he'd grown to love, while the Gotham's most notorious resident had quite a mask plastered on his face when he did his occasional speeches about making Gotham a better place.

Also, for some reason, Superman reminded her of Clark Kent, a colleague and already one of her best friends. Their faces and posture were similar, but while Clark was awkward and weird, Superman was confident and charismatic.

"Those towers you see in the ocean are where the people are being held, but Aquaman is already taking care of them." Superman ended. Lois wanted to say something to him, but the words were caught in her throat when the Man of Steel's eyes narrowed.

"There's something big coming. These demons are hailing someone, probably their leader." He stated while he started to fly towards the coast. Lois held on for dear life as Superman rushed through the sky. Before she knew it even, she was back on solid ground.

"What are they saying?" Lois quickly asked before Superman could fly off.

"Something about 'Dark side'. "Superman answered, before she witnessed him flying off into the distance. Superman had placed her back on the sidewalk of the boulevard, but not far enough to not see the upcoming climax. While hiding behind a corner, she noticed that one of the demons was being surrounded by not only Superman, but by Green Lantern, the Flash and other heroes she'd only seen on TV as well. She could clearly see the dark stature of the Batman of Gotham, who was thought to be a mere myth during the Zero Year. Also, she witnessed a woman with a bluish leotard and a red breastplate wielding a sword. Her curly black hair was waving in the wind as she was kneeling in front of some sort of, cyborg? And there also seemed to be a blonde haired man with golden scale-like armor, a sea-green bodysuit and a golden trident in his hand standing close to them. Aquaman was his name.

"Damn it Jimmy, if only you were here to put this on camera…" Lois thought with a grimace. Lois wanted to go, but Superman's words spoke true when she heard an atrocious 'boom' erupting from the demon. A hideous scream rattled through the air, which sounded like 'Dark side'. From there, a massive crimson portal opened, revealing something far more monstrous than the screeching demons.

The massive humanoid possessed greyish skin that looked more like uncut onyx than organic material, but with a speck of ash on it as well, a blue armored bio-suit with a crimson gem on his chest and fierce crimson eyes that bore through everything he looked at. The monster eyed his surroundings and when he noticed the heroes standing their ground against him, his body started to glow a fierce red.

"Oh no-!" Lois could only mutter as a shockwave erupted from the giant. She immediately pulled her head back behind the corner as a wave of energy flowed past her at ridiculous speeds. It was as if an atomic bomb had erupted from the monster. She was lucky that she was standing behind a building, because otherwise she probably wouldn't survive the shockwave.

When the rumbling died down, Lois pushed herself back on her feet. With still ringing ears, she peaked from behind the corner again to see all the superheroes sprawled on the ground with heaps of rubble either next or on top of them. The monster eyed them all dismissively, until his eyes focused on Superman, who slowly got up from the wreckage.

Lois witnessed the monster grabbing Superman by the waist and despite the ringing in her ears, she could her his screams of pain. While she could only watch helplessly, she noticed that the sky had darkened abruptly.

"Huh, why are there clouds forming?" Lois wondered. It was still sunny in Metropolis when the attack came and the weather forecast stated that no rain would come today. She noticed the massive behemoth stopping his squeezing onslaught on Superman and started to frown rather strangely. Before she could wonder why, a sudden streak of golden light almost pushed her off her feet. Then, immediately after the streak of light she heard a loud bang, a sound not unlike a fist shattering tiles of concrete. Another shockwave erupted when Lois peaked again, this time pushing her against the wall behind her.

Adrenaline surged through her as she hastily pushed herself back on her feet and ran towards the spectacle. When she finally moved around the building, she witnessed the monster of a man lying in a rather big crater as a golden-haired fighter loomed over the monstrosity. Sparks of blue electricity cackled around him like a second aura as the man kept clenching and unclenching his fists. She noticed the rest of the superheroes pushing themselves up from the rubble and eyeing the man carefully, but all of them then looked upwards, witnessing another golden fighter. She couldn't see what it was doing, but she couldn't ponder that for long. First she saw a streak of a shining yellow, but then the rumbling started.

Lois had no way of getting out of this one, but someone grabbed hold of her just in time as a massive explosion rocked the city. Shards of glass, piles of concrete and tubes of metal flew all around her as she was whisked away from the danger site. She closed her stinging eyes for a moment, but when she reopened them she noticed that she was literally outside the city's boundaries. Back in the sky where she came from, a bright light shone as dark clouds were pulled towards him, as if the being of golden light was a magnet. Metropolis now looked as dark as Gotham always was and the wind started to pick up speed as the area around them slowly started to ionize.

"Miss Lane, are you all right?" Lois' eyes turned to Superman, who was wincing slightly, probably still from the pain.

"I'm quite all right. Thank you Superman." She gave the Kryptonian a relieved smile as she was placed back on her feet.

"Are these your alien friends?" Metropolis' most famous reporter joked, but Superman's eyes remained uncharacteristically serious.

"I don't know who they are, but their eyes show an emotion I'd never thought I would witness in people." The Last Son of Krypton stated, while placing Lois back on the ground and turning his back to eye the spectacle in the distance.

"Demon Angels! DEMON ANGELS!" A bald man with a rather large girth shouted, while he held out a Holy Cross.

"Demon Angels?" Both Superman and Lois asked simultaneously, while the man continued to speak.

"God's vengeance towards the wickedness of man and demon kind! Shining like an angel, but the heart and soul of a demon. Have you seen their eyes!" Although Lois didn't know what he meant, Superman started to grimace.

"What do their eyes show?" Lois asked as Superman started to levitate.

"Wrath, Lois. Blind and unbridled wrath in a greenish hue." Was what the Man of Steel said as he shot himself towards the epicentre. Lois could only ponder the word the religious zealot was shouting as she watched the superheroes and their newly-found allies facing off against the grey menace…

….

 **Greetings, readers. I had this idea for a long time coming. I've written quite a lot of it already, but most of them are more like bits of pieces that don't align well currently. Still though, I just had to post this. Hopefully you'll like it! Don't know when I'll post the next chapter, but I've a lot of time on my hands in around 2 weeks so I'll probably finish it then.**

 **If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I don't want to spoil too much though, so you might not get the straightest answer. If you desire though, you can always try :)**


	2. An angel's woes

**Arc 1: Five Years Ago, Part 2: An angel's woes**

 _~Metropolis Bay~_

An eerie silence had befallen the city of Metropolis as Superman flew back towards the epicentre of a world-wide attack, where an earth-shattering confrontation was taking place. Nobody dared to speak, or even make a sound. If not for the cackling of lightning and the surging of strange auras, you would believe that a sound dampener had covered the city. Parademons were fluttering silently above the group of superheroes, but their movement was rather peculiar. Even they could feel the almost unbearable pressure that could crumble the hearts of the weak-willed.

When Superman had landed beside his allies, someone finally had the courage to speak.

"Friends of yours?" It was the Bat of Gotham who spoke, his gruff voice sounding a lot louder due to the lack of noise around them, but nobody except the superheroes paid any attention to him.

The Kryptonian simply shook his head, while his eyes darted back and forth to the massive behemoth and the two golden warriors levitating around him. Both looked similar to each other. What stood out the most was their hair: ridiculously spiky and long which arched backwards, almost touching their shoes. Their auras were a yellowish gold, with blue lightning cackling around it. Their irises were green in coloration, almost teal. Superman, with all his Kryptonian might, found it difficult to gaze into the eyes of these 'Demon Angels'. They showed an emotion fiercer than anger and it was backed up with ridiculous power.

But with them being so close now and not moving around, the distinguishes between the two finally became visible to not only Superman. Their clothing was different and one of them was considerably taller than the other. The taller one was wearing some sort of eastern martial arts gi in the color orange. He wore a dark blue shirt under it, but it was mostly torn off, probably due to earlier battles this man had waged. His muscles were toned and bulged out, but he still looked lean enough to be able to move with swift agility.

The smaller of the two however, wore some kind of jumpsuit, dark blue in coloration. The man wore white-colored gloves and boots as well, but they were covered with splotches of dirt and dried-up blood.

"The people call them 'Demon Angels', God's answer against the wickedness of man and in this case, demonkind. The strange thing is though, I've never heard them approaching at all. It's as if they just appeared out of thin air from someplace else, just like this crimson-eyed monster."

Superman had scanned their bodies thoroughly as well and it surprised him how human they appeared. Their internal organs were located on the same place as humans and their bone structure was identical as well. The only thing that looked extremely inhuman besides their external appearance was their internal homeostasis. It was, to put it simply, an entropic mess. Their bodies were constantly leaking various kinds of radiation, yet the energy dissolved around them as quickly it appeared. He wouldn't be surprised if the energy they generated was simply an act of magic, which made sense if these fighters were truly angels instead of mere humanoid aliens. Right now, Superman couldn't really do anything other than observe them warily.

"They truly look like angels…" Superman turned his head to see the raven-haired amazon speak quietly. Her eyes stared deeply and intently at the floating warriors, as if she was trying to read into their hearts.

"But how could an angel's heart suffer so much?" She asked afterwards, while finally eyeing the ground to ponder over her feelings.

"Angels? What makes you think that they're angels? They look more like rabid animals, demons. My ring senses a suffocating rage coming from them." A man with short, but shaggy brown hair stated indignantly. The man in a green and black bodysuit was encompassed by an emerald green barrier as a green ring was pulsing on his right middle finger.

"We can ponder about what they are later. Now is the time to prepare ourselves." A blonde-haired warrior with deep blue eyes spoke, as he calmly twirled the golden trident in his hand. While he moved, the golden fish-like scales on his chest rattled quietly.

"Aquaman is right, let's make sure that we can secure the civilians out of the danger zone first." A man in a crimson suit and a symbol of a lightning bolt on his chest stated as he was cradling a man whose body parts were almost fully made of a strange metal. Only his brown-colored face was visible, except for one eye, which was glowing an ominous crimson.

"D-Darkseid…" The young Afro-American stammered as the sound of him moving his robotic arms echoed quietly through the area.

"What is it?" Batman immediately crouched down in front of the man, trying to get the information out of the frightened adolescent.

"T-the monster's name is Darkseid, a-and he's from a dimension of hellfire… Apokolips!" The cyborg coughed as his systems were still recalibrating, but they all noticed that he was pointing his finger at the standoff. Everyone immediately turned towards the grey-skinned monstrosity, who finally managed to get up after being bombarded by a massive energy beam minutes ago. The confrontation was finally reaching critical mass as the behemoth's voice reverberated throughout the area.

"What is this farce? How did you two get her-!" There were only two people of the superhero group who witnessed one of the golden fighters move, but even they were speechless about the ridiculous speed.

BOOM! A massive shockwave reverberated throughout the area as one of the golden fighter's fist collided harshly against Darkseid's jaw. The group of heroes immediately braced themselves to not get pushed away. Superman stood his ground, but his feet grinded a couple of seconds through the asphalt, a few meters away from where he initially stood. Both the Amazon and Aquaman had stabbed their respective weapons on the ground and held them tightly to not get swept away, while Green Lantern created an emerald barrier to protect not only himself, but Batman, the Flash and Cyborg as well.

A second shockwave occurred, this time from the other golden fighter as he moved with speed that rivalled the Flash, and brutally kicked the monster further away into the city. Then, smaller shockwaves washed over the city as the two warriors danced around the monster and hit him at every unguarded spot on his body. All around the heroes they witnessed buildings crumbling; they weren't capable of receiving such a massive pounding at all.

"We have to force them away from the city!" Superman roared, his anger spiking as he witnessed _his_ city falling apart around him. If this continued on, the amount of death would be disastrous and he could not forgive himself for it.

He was about to head off to engage Darkseid as well, but through the sound of crumbling buildings, he heard numerous horrendous screeches heading their way.

"Parademons, prepare to engage!" Batman roared fiercely, as the group witnessed demons heading towards them from all directions.

"Let me send these monsters back to Hades!" The Amazon roared as she immediately jumped into the frenzy, cutting down through any demon that came too close with a flurry of her gladius.

Aquaman wasted no time either, because he immediately scaled a building that was still standing, jumped off it and stabbed one of the demons with his trident, using the monster as a surfboard before jumping off and utilizing the same strategy on another demon.

Superman felt conflicted initially. He desperately wanted to force the trio of powerhouses away from his city, but eventually decided to help his allies out first. Utilizing the natural anti-gravity field around him that gave him flight, he blitzed through numerous demons that were stalking the heroes, hearing the audible snaps and crunches of bone as his strength was more than enough to break these monstrosities apart with ease.

After zooming through the city for at least a few minutes, the blue boy scout landed next to Batman. The Dark Knight was hiding behind one of the piles of rubble, while interrogating the cyborg for information regarding this attack and more importantly, the sudden appearance of the golden fighters.

"I know that you're in pain, Victor, but I need you to tell me what you see." Batman urged in a surprisingly calm manner. Superman kneeled and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder, while smiling gently.

The Man of Steel could hear the rapid treads of Flash's footsteps as he was racing around the city, probably in search for survivors, while Green Lantern was shouting profanity at the monsters in the sky, while also bombarding them with whatever he could think off.

"I-I see…" The cyborg known as Victor began, "Lots of different portals, a network created by those metal cubes, Mother Boxes…"

There was an explosion that rocketed the area around them as one of the golden fighters was sent pummelling down. Superman was about to head off, but the warrior had already pulled himself free from the rubble, ignited his aura and blasted off again. Batman didn't seem fazed by it, however, and he proceeded to interrogate the cyborg even further.

"Can you see through the portals, Victor?"

"Destruction, destruction everywhere. Numerous worlds, either destroyed or enslaved."

Although Superman looked visibly disgusted, Batman remained stoic.

"And the golden fighters? Can you see where they're from?"

"N-no, I can't, but they have to be coming from one of these broken worlds." Victor stated, while his body started to move.

"ATTENTION. SYSTEMS STABILIZED. WEAPON SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL." A monotonous female voice spoke through the cyborg's body, as the man could finally stand.

"Maybe they've been following this Darkseid through the portals these 'Mother Boxes' create, but right now I don't care who they are or where they came from. If they're here to fight this Darkseid, then I'm going to help." Superman couldn't comprehend what the man known as Victor saw, but it seemed to have strengthened his resolve. Immediately the cyborg blasted off, while his arms were converted into strange cannons that caused disastrous sonic booms. He fired at a group of demons immediately and both Superman and Batman saw the demons being blown to smithereens.

Superman decided to bring himself into the fight again as well, but he was stopped by the Caped Crusader.

"Superman, wait. I have a plan of how to stop this." The Man of Steel quickly landed back on the ground and faced the man. He desperately wanted to help, but in his heart he couldn't deny the man in front of him. He hardly knew the Bat, but he looked as someone who planned everything thoroughly.

"What do you suggest?" Kal-El asked immediately, while he rapidly used his heat vision to incinerate any demon that came too close.

"We're fighting a losing battle here. Soon we'll be overrun by these demons, so the only way to win is to close its source and push Darkseid along with it. We need to close these portals and destroy the network." Superman wanted to reply, but he heard something rapidly approaching them from behind the debris.

"Batman watch out!" Superman screamed as he pulled Batman along with him. In the nick of time as well, because a loud explosion pulverized the wall behind them. A cloud of dust obscured their vision, but that it was quickly blown away as one golden fighter flew through it.

Everyone stopped fighting momentarily as Darkseid wheezed and coughed, but still managed to get up after such a beating.

"What's wrong? You don't look so well. Don't worry, I'm not done with you yet. I'm going to do the multiverse a favour by mutilating that cancer you call a face!" The warrior in the dark blue jumpsuit stated, his face full of unbridled hatred. His voice was dripping with venom, which Superman strangely understood. He would be edging on the brink of insanity as well if his world was suddenly attacked and annihilated by a monster as horrible as Darkseid.

The monster in question didn't react to the jab as everyone expected. Instead, he had a wide smirk on his face.

"Big words for a weak little mortal who couldn't even protect his own family. I'll let you in on a secret, Saiyan. Breaking _her_ ," Everyone watched as the smaller Demon Angel was seething barely beyond control.

"was the most enjoyable thing that I have done in over a million years!" With that statement, the golden fighter snarled as his aura exploded around him. The heroes barely withstood the fierce flares of golden energy as the Demon Angel homed in on Darkseid. A loud bang reverberated throughout the area as well, but this time no shockwave.

Superman and the rest opened their eyes and saw Darkseid holding the fist of the Demon Angel in one of his massive hands, his bulk having absorbed the kinetic energy of the attack.

"You're a weakling, Vegeta. All of your brethren could give me some sort of challenge, except for you." Superman saw the one known as Vegeta trying to punch the monster with his free hand, but that one was soon caught by the wrist as well.

"Even now, when you wield a similar power as your friend, your body is too weak to regulate it properly!" It was horrifying to watch as Darkseid slowly started to twist his arms. The Demon Angel furiously tried to kick the monster's neck, but soon his weak attempts were drowned out by his painful screams. The heroes noticed the monster's eyes starting to glow.

"You're no prince, just a peasant. No, a mere squealing pig before the mighty Darkseid!" The Kryptonian was about to interfere, but somebody already did it for him.

"DARKSEID!" An explosion of energy erupted behind Superman and with his quick senses, he managed to catch a glimpse of the other warrior as he homed in on the monster. There was a powerful crack to be heard as Darkseid's head jerked back and forth from the brutal kick the Demon Angel brought to the monster's face. The warrior had lost the gi on his torso entirely and he was covered with crimson scorch marks, probably from the energy Darkseid was radiating, but still looked as fierce and battle-ready as he was a few minutes ago.

The kick did its thing though, because Darkseid had let go of the smaller one of the warriors as he was sent tumbling away. The group noticed the taller one holding the other fighter up, but then they witnessed something bizarre.

"Let go of me! I can stand up myself!" The one known as Vegeta spat, but when he forced his compatriot off of him, he fell down to the ground. The group of heroes saw the hair of the smaller one slowly starting to shrink as he huffed and grunted painfully.

"Vegeta, let me handle this. Your body isn't used to the-" The warrior tried to help his friend up, but his hand was merely swat away.

"I don't care, Kakarot! I will not let this opportunity pass me by! That monster will pay for what he's done!"

There was a forlorn sadness looming over the two golden warriors as they argued with each other. Their voices quivered ever so slightly as the shorter of the two spat insults, while the taller one tried to calm the other down. As much as they shone with a radiant light, their hearts were so heavy that the constricting miasma inside seeped out of it. They truly looked as if they had lost part of their souls.

Superman glanced at his compatriots. All of them looked… disheartened by the conversation. Even the normally boastful Green Lantern and the stoic Batman were standing there, unable to know what to do. They witnessed an injustice that was made and it had to be set right. Nobody had the courage to speak however, except for one.

"Greetings, warriors of the heavens." Both of the two looked at the source of the voice as the Amazonian beauty made herself known.

"I am princess Diana of Themyscira, Daughter of Queen Hippolyta. I fight for truth and justice," The superheroes all stood there bewilderedly as Diana walked towards the arguing warriors and grabbed their hands fervidly.

"And if the death of this abominable overlord will ease your aching bodies, minds and souls," She gave the two fighters a radiant smile.

"Then I will pledge my sword to your cause. Come forth, my friends!" The Amazon shouted, while she grabbed her blade and pointed at Darkseid, who was slowly walking towards them.

"And together, we will save our Gaia from the wretched claws of Darkseid!" Diana ended passionately, while she took the frontline and stood there as an indomitable shield. Superman watched as the taller one of the Demon Angels smiled slightly, while the smaller one looked conflicted.

"Don't tell me what to do, woman." Was what Superman could hear, but it was so quiet that he was the only one who heard it. He found the gesture odd. He wasn't talking to Diana, however, it was as if he was reminiscing something painful. Superman was not one to judge though. Instead, he turned towards Darkseid as well and together with his eight compatriots, they prepared themselves to face their most difficult opponent yet.

* * *

 **Greetings everyone! I hope that you've enjoyed the next part of my new story. The chapters are currently not that long, but that will change soon. I struggled a bit with the characters' personalities, but I think I've done well. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!**

 **Also big shoutout to Celestial Glowhead for beta-reading this. I want to thank you big time!**


	3. An unlikely alliance

**Arc 1: Five years ago, Part 3: An unlikely alliance**

 _~Metropolis Bay~_

Small tremors shook the ravaged City of Tomorrow as a nine-foot tall behemoth skulked towards a group of thoroughly unique fighters. With nine in total they stood their ground, while anxiously focusing on the monster's movements as he made his way towards them.

When Darkseid was approaching ever closer, one of the heroes quietly spoke up.

"So, what's the plan? Do we attack him together, or shall we split up in groups?" The man in a red bodysuit with a symbol of a lightning bolt on his chest asked as yellowish lightning cackled around him.

"Some of you have to distract him, while Victor and I try to reopen these boom tubes." Batman immediately stated. Most of the group nodded in agreement, but there was one person who spat at the plan.

"So you can let him retreat to his own dimension? Not only is that a plan of cowardice, it is a foolish one as well. If he manages to get to Apokolips now, the next time he returns it will be your downfall. Darkseid dies right here right now." It was one of the Demon Angels who spoke up, his aura slowly starting to surge as his anger rose. Batman scoffed at the statement and immediately turned towards him.

"More people will die if he continues his rampage on Earth." The Bat argued calmly, but his words were met with fierce, green eyes.

"And I'll gladly make that trade-off if it means destroying this bastard once and for all." The warrior known as Vegeta replied, while he slowly started to move towards the incoming threat. There was one hero however who could not stand the callous dismissal at which the group was addressed.

"This is our home, demon! You have no right to decide over the fate of its inhabitants!" The Green Lantern stated fiercely, his voice seething with anger as he stepped in front of the small and lithe warrior.

"Out of my way, light bulb." The golden warrior growled as the Emerald Knight defiantly stood his ground. The Demon Angel's voice reverberated with power, but that was not enough to break the Lantern's indomitable will.

"Ha ha, very funny! I didn't know demons could have a sense of humor! Now listen carefully, because I'm not going to say this again," The fighter in a green and black bodysuit began as he stared the smaller warrior down.

"I don't care what you are and whatever this Darkseid did to you, but you're not going to risk the Earth for your own selfish desires. Not on my watch." Green Lantern ended triumphantly, but while he indulged in his smugness, he failed to sense the incoming retaliation.

"Out. Of. My. Way!" The ring-wielder could barely react as an invisible burst of energy suddenly forced him a few meters back. In response, the knight's ring started to glow a bright green.

"Oh, it's on now!" Green Lantern roared as he made a massive green fist and homed in on the small warrior. He desperately wanted to put the Demon Angel in his place, but he had to pull his punch when the Flash suddenly stood between the two.

"Hal, stop! He's not our enemy!" The speedster pleaded as he grabbed the Emerald Knight by the wrist. Hal desperately wanted to retaliate and was already moving his fist towards the short warrior despite Flash's efforts to restrain him, but he truly stopped his approach when the other Demon Angel decided to interfere.

"Vegeta, they're right you know. This plan is our only shot." The group of heroes saw the other one approaching Vegeta and holding his shoulder, but the warrior merely swatted the hand away.

"How dare you, Kakarot! How can you agree with this, while knowing what he's done to us?! He murdered and pillaged his way through our world, converting whatever he could capture into his own personal army!"

Although most of the group silently watched the two argue again, Batman's grey matter was working overtime to understand what the Demon Angel just stated.

"He's an even bigger monster than Frieza himself! When we give him a chance to recuperate, all is lost!" The smaller of the two spitefully ended, as the one known as Kakarot simply listened with a disheartened look on his face.

"You know we can't beat him, not right now." Was the answer of the taller one, and while the two kept arguing as Darkseid made his way back to the group, Batman had finally connected the dots.

"Vegeta, Kakarot," The Bat began boldly by stating the warrior's names as all eyes turned to him.

"Those towers where the people are being brought to, they're conversion machines, to supply Darkseid's army?" The Caped Crusader asked grimly, but it was a rhetorical question.

"All this time," Vegeta began in response, while he turned around to face the one who ordered this massacre, who smirked evilly at the group as he continued his advance.

"you've been culling your own population." The small Demon Angel ended. It was a tough pill to swallow for the superhero group, but it did manage to steel their resolve.

"Monster!" The Amazon known as Diana exclaimed with fury, while she pointed her gladius at the demon lord in front of her.

"How dare you, corrupting our homes and enslaving our loved ones with your insidious magicks, all with a smile on your face!" The massive behemoth known as Darkseid stopped in his tracks as the raven-haired beauty spat at him.

"Your plundering and pillaging across the stars is at an end. I will see to that." Diana declared as she carefully distributed her legs to create a perfectly balanced stance for both offensive and defensive manoeuvers, while putting her guard up high with the tip of her gladius pointing in Darkseid's direction.

"You are not the first to claim that, and you will certainly not be the last." The behemoth retorted back as crimson energy leaked from his body.

"I know who you are, Diana of Themyscira. I have visited many worlds where I pulled your head from your body and crushed it. Your petty threats mean less than nothing to me." The monster's ominous voice growled as his eyes started to glow.

"You're bluffing, demon. You're balancing more on your right leg than your left one… possibly a fracture that hasn't healed yet properly…" The warrior princess remarked calmly. The eight fighters all stood perplexed at such an answer and Superman even scanned the monster again with his X-ray vision.

"Hmmm…" Was all that Darkseid could say as his smirk had vanished completely. Superman was amazed by the Amazon's perceptive eyes, because he indeed saw that Darkseid's left femur had been fractured recently; the medullary cavity had not fully healed yet.

"I alone might not be able to best you, but my people have always valued comradery," Diana placed her right hand over her heart as she continued her speech of valour.

"and while we all are from different parts of the world, some even from further beyond," She turned her head to glance at the group behind her with sparkling eyes, before turning back to face the monster with a cocky grin.

"it is on moments like this that we stand united, despite our heritage and beliefs. That is the truth you face today." The Themysciran beauty ended. Her words managed to lift the spirits of her comrades, but Darkseid wasn't someone who could be slain by mere words alone.

"You are someone who values truth, princess? Let me give you some clarity that is absolute," The eyes of the nine heroes hardened when Darkseid's eyes glowed even brighter than before.

"No one has ever survived the full might of my Omega Beams." He didn't deliver a last warning and immediately fired. Two thin beams of a malevolent crimson were shot from the monster's eyes and punctured the air as they rapidly swirled around the group of heroes rather randomly. Subsequently, Darkseid kept shooting more and more beams from his eyes and the group could only huddle together and prepare for the worst. Soon, it looked more like a prison of crimson energies than mere beams flying around in a randomized pattern.

Darkseid noticed the sheer surprise coming from the group, especially from the two golden fighters and decided to elaborate.

"Surprised? A minor trick I taught myself moments after your insignificant squabble on your world against me." The behemoth laughed as the one known as Vegeta spat at the ground.

"Curse that fiend!" He roared as he ignited his aura together with the other golden warrior.

"Vegeta, we could, but…" The one known as Kakarot began, but he stopped mid-sentence as he tried to interpret the consequences.

"What is your plan, warrior? We could follow up on whatever you're thinking." Aquaman asked as he could only stare with a grimace at the crimson beams swarming around him.

"Vegeta and I need to unleash our full power to combat his Omega Beams, but we can't because it will kill you." The warrior replied, while he balled his fist in anger over his inability to prevent this situation.

"Then do it, we have no other choice. I will protect the rest." Green Lantern stated as he used his ring to create emerald barriers around himself and the six heroes from this world.

"That will never hold." Vegeta argued, but his jab only steeled Hal's resolve even further.

"Watch your tone, demon. This ring is the most powerful weapon in the universe, powered by _my_ will! I can do this." Green Lantern replied, but before the group could argue further, the intensity of the beams started to grow.

"You can bicker amongst yourselves in the afterlife. Now is the time for your demise!" Darkseid roared as the swarm of Omega Beams pointed themselves at the group, ready to be fired.

"This is our only chance, focus now!" Stated the voice of the Bat one last time as the beams struck. Superman and the rest of the group expected the worst, but instead they saw only light.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH" An explosion of golden energy erupted from the cage as the crimson beams were ripped apart by the overwhelming force of two warriors from the stars. Superman could already feel the green barrier of willpower around him shattering, so he decided to help his ally out.

"Flash, help me out on this one!" The Man of Steel roared as he grabbed Batman and Diana by the torso and moved out of the explosion. Flash didn't hesitate either and pulled Aquaman and Victor with him, as Green Lantern simply protected himself as he was launched away.

* * *

The thunderous explosion only lasted a few moments, but the destruction it had caused was immense. No building in a radius of two-hundred meters still stood upright; everything, including the Parademons anxiously flying around, was reduced to rubble. The two golden warriors were the only ones standing, and although the one known as Kakarot looked no worse than before, the one known as Vegeta was struggling to keep himself standing.

"Hmm, I had expected better results, but this will have to do." The voice of Darkseid echoed throughout the area as he pushed himself from the rubble, hardly damaged by the massive explosion. Kakarot stood his ground, but Vegeta could only lament himself as his hair had shrunk back to his normal length and hairstyle; a spiky flame colored a golden yellow.

"Vegeta, can you still fight?" Kakarot asked with a grimace while he turned towards the slowly approaching monster. Vegeta tried to answer, but no words were uttered as he was too busy trying to regain his breath.

"You two might have escaped my wrath earlier, but this time you will not be so lucky." Darkseid growled as he ran towards the two with incredible speed. Kakarot immediately tried to block the incoming strike, but he felt his own powers failing him.

There was a loud bang as the golden warrior was punched harshly to the ground. He was literally bouncing on concrete as Darkseid followed up by grabbing the man's hair and punching his exposed stomach repeatedly. When the warrior's golden mane started to shrink as well, the Dark Lord grabbed Vegeta, before proceeding to ram their heads against each other repeatedly.

"Aaaghhh!" The two warriors cried out as their golden light slowly started to diminish.

"You two deserve my respect for giving me a pleasure I do not usually find these days." The God of Apokolips began as he momentarily stopped bouncing the warriors' skulls against each other. Both had finally lost their golden hue, reverting back to their own natural color, which seemed to be an onyx-like black.

"Knowledge of your world has been a valuable thing to me, one I intend to exploit when I have the means. Your usefulness however, has ended. Prepare to die now, at the hands of a true God of Evil!" Darkseid ended as he charged his Omega Beams again, ready to puncture the heads of the two defenceless warriors.

"Not on my watch, monster!" Darkseid had little time to react as he felt a sudden crack in his left thigh. Something with a ridiculous amount of kinetic energy slammed itself against the wound that he tried to hide.

"Argh, Kryptonian!" Darkseid roared in outrage as he lost his grip on the two Demon Angels involuntarily as he had to shift his weight even more towards his right limb.

"Your evil hands have no right to claim the lives of these noble warriors!" The Amazon known as Diana roared as she used the lasso she wielded to capture the two warriors and pull them out of harm's way. Darkseid wanted to retaliate, but his left limb refused to move.

"These fighters have done what they can and now it's our turn to show our worth!" Darkseid frantically looked towards the source of the voice, but in his currently erratic state of mind due to the sharp pain he felt, he couldn't properly prepare for it.

"Monster from hell, face the power of Atlantis!" Darkseid could only see a red blur with yellow lightning around it moving towards him, before a blonde-haired warrior with golden scale-like armor was thrown with ridiculous speed and efficiency towards him. Darkseid was too late to pull his arms up as a golden trident was slammed in his face, with one of the points puncturing his left eye.

"AAAAARGH!" The monster roared as the trident was pulled away by the a blonde-haired warrior wearing a golden scale-like chestplate.

"Aww, you lost your eye. I know just the right remedy to alleviate your pain!" With his still functioning eye, Darkseid turned his head at another voice. He saw a man encompassed by a bright green light levitating in front of him, but something that looked like a man made of metal stood behind him.

"Now, Cyborg!" The Green Lantern roared as he made a massive emerald colored wrecking ball on a chain that hanged ominously in front of Scourge of the multiverse.

"With pleasure! Take this! Sonic Boom!" Darkseid head snapped backwards as the wrecking ball was slammed in his face, courtesy of the cyborg's sonic boom that erupted out of his arm cannon. Darkseid struggled to maintain his balance and before he could properly regain it, he heard the sound of a car engine approaching him fast.

"The cost of my car's destruction is on you, by the way." Was the only thing he heard before a car as black as night and loosely resembling a bat slammed into him. It exploded after another ten meters of driving, launching the monster away from the group of heroes.

"Holy shit, Batman just made a joke!" Green Lantern exclaimed as he congratulated himself on a job well done, but when he saw the shape of the two Demon Angels Diana was holding, his smile turned into a frown.

All the seven heroes gathered around the two beaten warriors as they momentarily had a bit of rest.

"Their hair… it turned black?" The Flash asked in disbelief as he saw one of the fighters regaining conscious. It was the taller one of the Demon Angels who opened his eyes as he struggled to sit upright. Diana held him steady as the man coughed due to the beating he had received.

"Well, seems to me that he's no angel. He looks so… human." Hal stated incredulously. "With a ridiculous hairstyle as well." He ended upon witnessing the mess of spiky cowlicks on the warrior's scalp. Aquaman slapped him on the chest in response.

"Show some respect, Lantern. He saved our lives." The warrior from Atlantis told his ally, who shrugged his shoulders.

"I was just joking, partly…" Hal answered, while staring at the warrior as Superman decided to sit on one knee to address the fighter.

"Kakarot was the name, right? Are you from Krypton like me, or a real angel perhaps?" Clark asked as the man's coughing fit was finally over. His physiology looked vastly different than his, but you'd never truly know if you didn't ask.

"I don't know what Krypton is, but I'm no angel. I had a halo once though…" The man stated as he slowly forced himself up.

"You can call me Goku by the way. That's the name I grew up with. Only Vegeta calls me Kakarot." Goku simply answered as he finally managed to stand upright.

"If you're not a warrior from the heavens, then what are you truly?" The Amazon asked curiously as she held the smaller Demon Angel tightly against her.

"I am from a race of warriors called the Saiyans. We're the last of our kind, really." Goku stated cheerlessly as he gazed at the dark skies.

"Did Darkseid hunt your people towards the brink of extinction?" Superman asked as he reminisced the time when he realized that his home planet of Krypton had been destroyed, making him the last of his kind as well.

"No, my race died long before this… monster came to our world." Goku answered solemnly as he turned towards the group.

"He came out of nowhere with a massive army using these loud portals. We threw everything we had at him, and it still wasn't enough. He… murdered my friends and family… Even when Vegeta and I combined our powers, it was not enough…"

Goku was struggling heavily with his words, but the story he told was heart-breaking nonetheless. It made the hearts of the heroes heavy, but it also managed to ignite their passionate souls.

"I wasn't strong enough, damn it! It cost me everything!" The warrior raged as his golden light started to return. The group of heroes witnessed the man's eyes growing fiercer by the second, while changing into a teal color as well. His hair started to point upright and began to look like a golden flame.

"If someone as strong as you couldn't even defeat him, then our hopes here are slim as well. The only way is to send him back to his home and destroy his network of Boom Tubes to prevent him from coming back." Aquaman pondered, while glancing at Batman.

"But your friend does not agree." The warrior from Atlantis ended, while glancing back at the still unconscious Vegeta.

"I know, but it's our only shot. Vegeta will understand." Goku simply replied as glanced at his he turned around again to witness Darkseid heading back towards the group, his face full of rage as he had his left eye shut.

"I can buy us some time, but you need to find a way to open these tubes on your own. Can you guys do that?" Goku asked as he glanced at the group. Everyone turned towards Batman, who nodded in reply.

"Victor and I will succeed." The Bat stated as he glanced at the cyborg, who nodded in agreement.

"I'll do my best, just make sure that we get some breathing room." Victor ended as the rest of the group nodded at him.

"We've got you covered, kid. Darkseid won't know what hit him." Hal stated with a smirk, as he, Aquaman and Superman began to stand next to the Saiyan warrior.

"The Flash and I will stay with Batman and Victor. If these parademons decide to show up again, then we'll be their line of defence. Besides," Diana began as she cast her gaze downward at the man who laid unconscious in his arms, before turning her gaze back to said man's friend.

"Someone has to watch over him as he balances between Morpheus's realm and ours." She ended. Nobody really knew who Morpheus was supposed to be, but that didn't really matter right now.

"Awesome, guys, I owe you big time." Goku ended with a smile as he saw the Flash and Diana nodding at him. Now that everyone knew their roles, the group of four stomped towards the approaching behemoth.

"Hey Darkseid, how's your eye?" Green Lantern immediately asked when Darkseid came to a stop. The behemoth was seething, but managed to control himself.

"You will pay for your insolence, mortals. I have acquired the information needed on this world and I see no reason to let it continue to exist. Behold my army," Darkseid began as he conjured a metal cube out of thin air.

"Mother Box, open the gates to Apokolips!" Darkseid roared, but for some reason nothing seemed to happen.

"What is this blasphemy?!" The behemoth growled as he scanned the battlefield for some sort of answer. When his eyes locked on Victor, whose cyborg eye was beeping heavily as he strained himself, he finally knew why. Him gazing at the cyborg didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the heroes, however.

"Nuh uh uh, no reinforcements for you, demon!" Hal exclaimed with a smirk, but when Darkseid started to laugh as well, he knew that the monster was not out of ideas yet. Instead, the monster closed his right eye and stopped moving momentarily.

"Uhm, what the hell is he doing?" Hal asked, his voice housing slight concern. Although most of the heroes looked on with a questionable look on their face, it was Superman who grabbed his head in pain.

"Ugh, he's addressing every single Parademon through those towers. Soon our city is going to be swarmed by these monstrosities!" He stated alarmingly.

"Correct, Kryptonian. Soon your precious Metropolis is gone and after that this entire planet after I salvage the resources from your world." Darkseid answered as he reopened his right eye. The heroes could only prepare themselves for the final battle as ear-splitting screeches around them were getting louder and louder…

* * *

 **Greetings, readers! I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. This one was a bit of a struggle due to the fact that I felt like the characters sounded a bit OOC (out of character), but I'm still happy with the result. I wanted to address the difference in the line of thinking between the Justice League and the Z-Fighters. The Z-Fighters usually killed their monstrous enemies, while the Justice League is generally opposed to it.**

 **To the ViperJono: I don't really have an update schedule, but I'll try to write as much as possible when I have time. I'll try to update at least once every two weeks, but I can't promise anything.**

 **In any case, I want to wish you all an excellent day and stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **Oh and one more thing, big shout-out towards the Celestial Glowhead for Beta-reading this!**


	4. Gods among men

**Arc 1: Five years ago, part 4: Gods among men**

 _~The Pentagon, Washington D.C.~_

"Mayday, mayda-!" Was last heard through the comms as a helicopter crashed violently into the Pentagon's west side, resulting in an explosion that violently forced a group of soldiers to the ground. Chunks of flaming debris were launched into the air and rained down upon the group mercilessly. The commander of the squadron had his eyes closed, but he could make out the screams of his comrades as some of them were crushed by the tons of stone and metal. When his weary eyes could finally bear the sting of the cloud of dust that had formed, he wished that he hadn't opened them. His mind was slowly crumbling apart as he could only see disaster.

Death, destruction and monsters from hell flying all over them was all he could see for miles around. Through all the smoke and rubble he could make out a few corpses of dead demons, but that amount was nothing compared to the rows upon rows of fallen soldiers as they tried to keep the president from harm's way.

The man furiously spat at the ground, ignoring the fact that he spat blood, and forced himself up. Subsequently he grabbed his M16 rifle before proceeding to search for the few soldiers of his squadron that were still alive. His desperation was growing ever higher when he bypassed only lifeless bodies, but his ears were suddenly alerted to a quiet coughing.

"C-colonel Trevor? Steve?" One of the soldiers wheezed as the man in question kneeled next to him. His lung sounded like it was punctured and the man looked ready to die, but the colonel refused to leave him behind.

"Stay with me, soldier! You're going to be all right." Steve stated as calmly as possible as he used his shirt as a cloth to pressure the wound on the man's chest. He refused to stop even when the man's eyes started to close as his body slackened.

"N-no, please stay with me…" Steve muttered desperately as he held the man tightly in his arms, but he knew that it was already too late. Unbridled anger was slowly taking over his being as needless loss of life was all around him, but as he witnessed various tanks, helicopters and even jets being brought down so easily, his resolve started to crumble instead.

How could you prepare for something like this? These demons' hide and armor were too thick to properly penetrate with conventional bullets and they were far stronger and faster than even the finest athletes on the planet. And although tank shells and guns with more stopping power could shoot these monsters from the sky, there were just too many of them. There was no contingency plan for an extra-terrestrial attack, much less one as well orchestrated as this. All Steve could do was try his damn best and accept the consequences.

"Fuck you, you monsters!" Steve roared with rage as he pulled the trigger of his M16 and started firing at the monsters that took away his comrades. That seemed to get the attention of one of them and he had to roll to the right to dodge one as the demon's deadly claws almost grazed his face. When the colonel recovered, he immediately saw the demon barrelling right towards him. This time he wasn't fast enough and he was launched away. He felt himself fly for at least a few seconds before his body collided with a pile of debris. Due to the adrenaline running through his system, he managed to turn his body just enough despite the obvious pain to see the demon that brutally pushed him off the ground heading towards him with his claws extended.

Steve was prepared for the worst when he noticed the monster stopping abruptly in his tracks. It suddenly became deadly quiet on the battlefield as he saw numerous other soldiers equally wondering why the carnage of these demons had stopped. It was as if they were simultaneously listening to some sort of hive command. It took a few seconds for the demons to move again, but when they did they suddenly started to head west.

"W-what in the hells?" Steve could only manage to say as he could only stare at the strange display in bewilderment. All around him, demons started to take off, leaving the tired and broken soldiers wondering what higher power had saved them from their imminent demise.

"Colonel!" Steve heard as a group of soldiers closed in on his position and helped him upright. The colonel winced when he started to breathe manually. Probably a fractured rib, maybe more. He was led to a makeshift field hospital inside the Pentagon, where medical staff were working vigorously to treat even the most horrid wounds. Gaping holes on the scalp, severed limbs, punctured abdomen, third-degree burns; he forced himself to look away when he saw families crying over their deceased loved ones.

Steve had initially expected to be treated for his wounds, but he was instead led to one of the surveillance rooms, where soldiers were running haphazardly around until they noticed the colonel staring at them all.

"Colonel Trevor, thank god!" One of the military technicians exclaimed as he was analysing video footage from various parts of the world. Steve saw footage of rainforests being reduced to ash, national monuments being brought down and uncountable amounts of people being dragged towards ominous looking metal towers that had spawned out of nowhere. It infuriated him that he was so powerless to prevent this callous and wanton destruction, but suddenly he saw a spark of hope.

"Colonel, look at this," The technician began as he showed him a bird's eye view of the many parademons closing in on a particular city in the United States.

"Why are they heading to Metropolis? Is it because," Steve began as his mind was trying to understand his enemies' sudden behaviour, but when he saw footage of a certain Amazon cutting through the demons like they were made of butter in the city of Tomorrow, he started to connect the dots.

"Diana!" Steve immediately exclaimed as he forced himself closer towards the monitor. He had lost her in the chaos when she joyously wanted to sightsee, like she always wants to do. The fact that she was in Metropolis most likely had to do something with the parademons' sudden migration.

"And not only her, sir. Watch." At all the different screens Steve witnessed super-powered people fighting the parademons and saving numerous people from certain doom from various points in time since the monster menace first attacked. He witnessed footage of a red and yellow blur punching his way through the streets of Central City, the Batman of Gotham forcing the demons out of his city in broad daylight with his heavily armored car and of course Metropolis' very own alien superhero helping people escape towards safer grounds.

More footage of various superheroes fighting these monsters were flooding into their systems and gave the people hope for a better tomorrow.

"And then we have this piece of footage. As if god has send his own angels to combat these monsters!"

The last footage that was shown was of a massive behemoth being punched in the face by a warrior clad in a golden aura. The next thing he witnessed was a massive energy beam being directed towards the monster. The video was then cut off abruptly.

"We finally stand a chance, sir! But, who are they?" One of the soldiers asked to no one in particular, but Steve's own experience with Greece's very own Wonder Woman compelled him to share his thoughts.

"They're beings who we've shared this world with for the longest time, yet we never faced an extinction level event that forced them out. I believe that this is the start of a new era," The colonel stated as he addressed the people inside the room.

"An era of gods among men." He ended as his heart was beating rapidly. Not due to fright and anger, but due to wonder and hope.

* * *

 _~Metropolis Bay~_

Ear-splitting wails resonated throughout the devastated area of Metropolis Bay as the vigilante known as Batman stared solemnly at his allies facing off against a nigh unstoppable foe and his army from hell. Parademons across the entire planet were homing in on their position and aside from that, they had to fend off the demons' leader who, despite his injuries, was still a force to be reckoned with. They were fighting a losing battle here, but they could still win the war.

They had a strategy, a brilliant plan that could turn the tides of war quickly. Their idea had a major flaw, however. Their plan was based solely on chance and the Dark Knight wasn't sure if Victor could pull it off. He could only whisper words of encouragement to the young Afro-American as he strained himself to not only keep the portals closed to prevent more enemy reinforcements from coming here, but also to override the network. Furthermore, one of the Demon Angels, or Saiyans as they called themselves, was still out cold and made it all the more difficult for the Amazon and the Flash to protect him and Victor. They were trying vigorously though, and the Bat found himself respecting these heroes more and more.

"Sir, what on earth is going on over there?" The Bat suddenly heard a voice through the built-in comm device in his cowl.

"Not now, Penny-One," Batman replied as he had to duck to prevent being clawed by a swooping demon. In response he grabbed a handful of his metal boomerangs with the shape of a bat, clicked on a very small button on each of them and threw them subsequently at the demon who made an U-turn. When the sharp pieces of metal made contact with the monster, they started to emanate electricity, shocking the demon and bringing it down in the process.

"Bruce, I've been monitoring the parademons' behavioural patterns in Gotham as you asked, but since a few minutes ago they all started to head towards Metropolis."

Bruce clicked his tongue when the voice addressed him with his real name, but he let it slide when he realized that the voice was quivering. The one on the other side seemed afraid for his safety and understandably so. The surveillance system that he developed had a radius of around 50 kilometers, which was certainly not enough to receive data from a city as far away as Metropolis, even though it's relatively close to Gotham.

"Alfred," Bruce began in response, hearing a sigh of relief coming from the other side as he let his stoicism falter for a moment.

"The parademon army is led by a being who calls himself 'Darkseid'. He used his... mind I believe to order his troops to close in on our position. The son of one of S.T.A.R. Labs most brilliant scientists is here with me, transformed into some sort of cyborg. Only he can close the global network of boom tubes." Gotham's most famous playboy millionaire ended as his mind was grinding its gears to come up with a plan that could grant them some precious time.

"Our, Master Bruce? Who is accompanying you on this ambitious endeavour?" Batman heard Alfred ask, his voice still full of concern.

Batman didn't initially respond. Instead, he quietly analysed what his compatriots were doing, despite the obvious difficulty for him due to them moving incredibly fast. Utilizing every bit of knowledge and experience on deducing movement, he saw the man known as Goku and Superman tag-teaming against the Dark God. Goku was taking the lead and continuously in the monster's face, punching and kicking whatever open spot he could find. Batman had already interpreted the fact that these two Saiyans were martial artists due to the way they fought, but he'd never expected them to be this good. Despite the man's obvious fatigue and injuries, the Saiyan was still fighting so fluidly without losing speed and power. Due to this expert way of manoeuvring and attacking, he gave Superman the opportunity to focus more on the monster's broken left leg as the Kryptonian tried to fully shatter the bone. Meanwhile Green Lantern and Aquaman were forcing the numerous parademons away, utilizing their power-ring and trident expertly to give the two powerhouses room to keep Darkseid on his toes.

He then looked at the other side, witnessing a yellow and red blur moving around, leaving a trail of barely conscious demons in the process. This gave the Amazon the opportunity to expertly slice her way through the horde with her gladius. Overall, the Batman was impressed.

"I'm accompanied by the planet's finest." The man with no superpowers praised as he refocused on Victor. He saw the young man's face still looking strained, but his breathing had stabilized, which was a good thing. He was the key to stop this madness, for the heroes could not keep this up for long.

"I have to go now, Alfred." Batman finally stated. When he tried to cut the call off, he heard a teenager's voice speaking up through the comms.

"Bruce? What's happening? Please don't die…"

The boy's pleading stung heavily, but steeled the man's resolve as well.

"I will make it back, Dick. That's a promise." The bat said reassuringly.

"And you better keep that one." Alfred stated finally as Bruce ended the call with a smile on his face. They were going to win this. There won't be a failure. He promised it after all.

"B-Batman…" Bruce immediately turned to Victor when he heard him speak.

"How are you faring, Victor?" He immediately asked while he held the boy by his shoulders.

"I-I've stabilized the network. I-I can override it no-!" The cyborg began, but his body suddenly started to jolt.

"AAAHHHH!" Victor screamed as currents of electricity ran through his body and slowly started to fry him alive. Batman was forced to back off when his insulated gloves started to smoulder.

"Batman, what the hell happening to him!" The Green Lantern asked alarmingly as he was penetrating the hides of various demons with a conjured gatling gun, using bullets made of pure willpower.

"Someone is hacking into his systems!" Batman growled as he started to type something on a small computer on his wrist.

"D-Desaad… Overriding..." Victor screeched as his screams started to become louder. This caused the rest of the heroes to focus on him involuntarily as well. Batman only had to glance at Darkseid to realize that it was a mistake.

"No, don't let him use his eye beam!" Bruce roared desperately, but it was already too late. Darkseid had immediately used the opportunity to fire a quick Omega Beam, directed at Victor. The red laser expertly moved around the group of heroes to home in on the screaming boy. Superman and Goku tried to intercept it, but they were a tad bit too slow. The Flash wanted to interfere as well, but the parademons around him immediately piled on him, using their superior strength to keep the speedster from blasting off.

"No! Victor, you need to get away!" The Flash screamed as he started to vibrate heavily, which made him to phase through the parademons. When he could finally run properly again, he saw the Amazon moving in front of the defenceless cyborg.

"Prepare to meet your end!" Darkseid cackled loudly as his beam rapidly moved towards amazon, ready to tear the two apart.

* * *

 _~A few moments earlier…~_

Brown-colored blood was sprayed on the Princess' hair and face as she beheaded one of the demons with her gladius. A simple horizontal chop, but one she made with a heavy heart. Despite her determination to protect her new friends, she kept thinking of the fact that she was killing innocent people who were transformed into these horrible beasts by evil magic. There was no time to truly grieve her actions though.

"I hope that you will find the peace you all deserve in Hades." Diana stated solemnly as she stabbed a demon in the heart. She was taught how to fight for as long as she could remember, but she wanted to use her skills to help the world, not cause more grief. Then again, she was still doing the world a favour by buying time for her friends. They relied on her skills to keep the demons from attacking the young man in a metal body. He was able to turn these portals 'off', even though she didn't understand the nature of his power. Understandable on her part. She grew up with knowledge of gods, magic and Greek martial arts. Technology like talking people on a screen, weapons that could fire small little metal bullets at sonic speeds and manipulating lightning to create long-lasting light remained unknown to her until she placed her first steps on man's world. Steve guided her through this world of wonder, but this one also hid vile secrets like this Darkseid.

Oh how she already hated this horrible titan the moment she saw that ugly mug of his. To think that he would steal the light and joy of such noble angels with a smile on his face was unthinkable to the warrior princess. She could feel the constricting pain and sorrow emanating from the warriors' hearts and it painted her very soul with anger and resolution. Despite the obvious empathy she had for these remarkable warriors, she was also full of wonder. Not only about the Demon Angels, but also about her other friends.

Where did they all come from? What power did they have that could make some of them fly? She always wanted to fly, because flying was the best representation of freedom! Oh how she wished that they could tell her stories about their life, their passions and their hopes and dreams! Maybe one of these Demon Angels could be her sparring partner! Or maybe someone of the group could go on an adventure with her! She initially thought that Steve would want that, but he always wanted her to slow down. Something about him being her United Nations Liaison and keeping her in check or something. She didn't need that! She was an adolescent now. Nobody would tell her what she had to do ever again.

Before she could wander deeper into her fantasies, she was suddenly forced back to reality when she heard a loud scream. She turned her head towards the source and noticed the man in the Bat costume holding the metal man steady. He was screaming loudly and his body was coursing with electricity.

"D-Desaad… Overriding…" Was what she could hear from him. She didn't know who this foul Desaad was, but her rage started to grow when Darkseid's healthy eye glowed ominously. She wasted no time and ran as fast as possible towards the young man. She was almost in front of the brown-skinned man when Darkseid fired. She had no time to protect herself and simply used herself as a shield. When she saw the beam turning away from Goku and Superman expertly and heading right towards her, while the Flash was being held down by the demons to keep him from interfering, she accepted her fate. Before she could even think about heading to the Elysian Fields however, a golden blur had moved into her vision…

* * *

For the first time since this battle started, the group of heroes truly felt powerless. They were unfocused for only a moment. A small meagre second, but that was enough for Darkseid to shoot an Omega Beam from his still functioning right eye. This shouldn't have happened, and the amazon, with all her compassion and upbeat nature, was going to pay the price. Well, that was what everyone expected when the explosion came, but when the smoke cleared, both Diana and Victor were unharmed.

"What? No!" Darkseid began as his mind refused to believe what his eye had interpreted.

"T-this cannot be! Curse you, Saiyan!" The Dark God roared furiously, but his wounds were taking a toll on his body as he fell on one knee. He had put a considerable amount of power into this Omega Beam to destroy the cyborg and the amazon for good measure as well, but someone had intercepted it just at the right time.

"N-not this time, Darkseid…" A wounded man with flaming hair growled as his golden aura illuminated the darkened area around them. His right index and middle finger was pointed at the God of Evil and was still glowing yellow.

"Vegeta! That was awesome!" The Saiyan known as Goku exclaimed as he saw Darkseid eyeing him furiously in response.

"A-angel, you saved us…" Diana spoke as her sparkling eyes were fixated on the wounded warrior. The Demon Angel in a dark blue jumpsuit refused to look in her direction, but that did not stop the Amazon from admiring him.

All the other heroes were awestruck at what the Saiyan known as Vegeta did, but that only seemed to anger the warrior.

"What are you guys staring at?! This our chance to send him to Apokolips!" He spat, which helped as a rude awakening. Immediately the group of heroes started to retaliate as Darkseid and his parademon army were resistless.

"Take this!" Darkseid felt a sharp pain in his left limb that forced him to gurgle a scream as a green sledgehammer shattered his already broken femur. Subsequently a trident was stuck into his still functioning eye, courtesy of Aquaman, blinding the monster fully.

"Open the portal, now!" Vegeta screamed as he put his arms horizontally apart from each other, while his hair grew extremely long and his aura started to cackle with lightning. Victor tried to respond to that, but something was severing his connection from the Boom Tube network.

"Here, plug this into your arm!" Batman said quickly as he connected a cable into his own wrist computer and gave the other end to the young man. Victor didn't know what Batman forced into his systems, but it reconnected him with Darkseid's network immediately.

"The password…" Victor the Cyborg murmured as his computer started to search, until it came across a peculiar path of ones and zeroes.

"PING!" He finally managed to shout as numerous portals suddenly opened behind Darkseid. Parademons were immediately sucked into them, but the ash-colored titan kept his ground.

"Perfect! Anyone, fire whatever you got left at him!" Goku roared as he stood next to Vegeta, while also powering up to the very limit and placing both his hands on his right hip, while cupping them as well. Then he started to charge a blue sphere of energy that heated up the air around them. Vegeta started to charge power into his hands as well and moved his arms in front of him symmetrically until his palms almost touched each other.

"We're with you till the end." Superman smiled as he charged his heat-vision, while Green Lantern conjured a massive gun from his own imagination.

"Oh, this is going to be so satisfying!" Hal cackled as the barrel of his plasma blaster started to glow with an emerald green.

"Final," Vegeta began.

"Kamehame…" Goku responded

"Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power," Hal smirked.

"Uhm, do I have to say something cool too?" Superman asked, but eventually shrugged.

Behind the four heroes stood the Flash, Aquaman, Batman and Diana as they gave their blessings of willpower. Together they stood united, like a real Justice League. Darkseid could only roar with rage as the beams were finally fired.

"Flash!"

"Haaaa!"

"Green Lantern's Light!"

"For justice!"

A beautiful symphony of yellow, blue, green and red colored energy spiralled around each other as Darkseid was blasted into the portal. When he was inside, Cyborg forced himself to ignore the agonizing pain he was feeling and closed his eyes. Loud 'ping' sounds resonated throughout the area as all the portals across the entire planet started to collapse.

"I will remember this!" Were the last words of Darkseid as numerous loud explosions blinded the heroes' senses...

* * *

Slowly but surely, the sky above Metropolis started to lighten up, revealing the destruction that had taken place. A massive crater was formed by the numerous devastating explosions mere moments ago and all the heroes were sprawled around the area. Only two looked awake and were standing quietly together in the crater.

"Vegeta," One of them began, his tousled, but spiky onyx hair was breezing in the wind as he stumbled towards his compatriot.

"I know that this is hard to swallow, but thanks." He ended quietly, but when he saw his compatriot falling on his knees, his stumbling turned into rushed steps as he grew concerned for his compatriot's wellbeing.

"I-I saw _her_ Kakarot… S-she... those eyes…" The other fighter responded as tears were streaming down his face. Kakarot stared at the skies, before looking at his friend with a sorrowful look.

"I know… I saw it too." He simply answered, his voice quivering slightly.

As the two warriors reminisced their painful pasts, Vegeta eventually started to speak.

"We do not belong here, Kakarot. We should've died back home." The flaming-haired man stated quietly as the taller one crouched in front of him.

"I know, but whoever send us here must've had his reasons. Besides, we will avenge them, together. We just need to get stronger. That old man said something about an ancient world that radiates with 'foreign' energy, like ki. We should go there." The taller warrior stated as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Maybe there's even a set of Dragon Balls there! You're not going to give up now, are you? We've fought Frieza and his brother, Cell, Broly and even Majin Buu! I'm sure that we can overcome this too!" Kakarot exclaimed positively, but his compatriot did not respond. Realizing that he wouldn't get a reaction from his close friend, he placed two fingers on his forehead. In just a heartbeat, both vanished, as if they were never there. Both never realized that someone was listening in, while holding a golden rope of truth in her hand…

* * *

Superman felt like he had only closed his eyes for a moment, but when he finally opened them, his senses started to explode.

"Superman! You had me worried for a second there!"

Superman blinked a few times as he saw a brunette with shining blue eyes staring at him with a wide smile on her face.

"L-Lois?" The Man of Steel asked groggily as he forced himself up. To his right, he saw a massive crater that was at least ten meters deep. It was an awful sight to behold. Before he could scan his surroundings even further, someone took away all his attention.

"The one and only. By the way, say cheese!" The Kryptonian was barely able to react as a camera was forced into his face. A flash of white then enveloped his vision for just a moment.

"Done and done! You don't need to worry about someone stealing that Pulitzer from you anymore, Lois! This shot is absolutely perfect!" A young man with ginger hair smiled as he admired his skills in photography.

"Jimmy?" Superman asked, while shaking head in an attempt to wake his mind up.

"Did you already forget me? You saved me from that Brainiac guy a few months ago, remember?" Jimmy asked with a pout, but his childish gimmicks remained unnoticed to the Blue Boy Scout. Instead, he was scanning the area around him. The words chaos, death and destruction were circling through his mind upon witnessing the wreckage that Darkseid had brought upon his city.

Various police and paramedics were searching through the crater and the wreckage all around him with rescue dogs at their side, hoping to find people or at least remains of them who were unlucky enough to be right in the middle of the most devastating battle the world ever had to endure. Firemen were searching as well, but most of their personnel and equipment were used on putting out many dangerous fires throughout the city.

"Now that you're awake, could you tell me what the heck happened here? Who was this 'Dark Side'?" Lois asked, but Superman didn't answer her question at all. Instead, he grabbed her shoulders gently.

"You can interview me later, but I need to speak with the other heroes." He told her with a conflicted look on his face. Lois tilted her head to the side and gave him an unamused look, but eventually smiled.

"Go on then, do your superhero debriefing. But don't let me wait for too long!" She said with a mischievous smile, which normally made the Man of Steel ease up. This time, however, he wasn't smiling.

"Come on, Superman! You just saved the world! You should be proud. You've prevented so many deaths and that big and bad monster is gone now, right?" Jimmy stated, but Superman did not reply and already started to levitate. Utilizing his super speed, he made his way towards the other side of the deep and massive crater. There, six of his allies were awaiting him.

"Seriously? Even Batman was awake earlier than you!" Green Lantern exclaimed, but nobody really shared his cheerfulness. When the Emerald Knight saw nobody laughing, or even smiling slightly, he gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Seriously, guys? We've just defeated a fucking alien warlord, together! How can you not be happy or at least proud of that?" He asked indignantly.

"Look around you, Lantern. Our battle has caused billions and billions of property damage, innumerable casualties of war across the entire planet and now the world knows that Earth is but a small place, unable to defend itself against an alien invasion." Batman argued and most of the group seemed to agree with him.

"And Darkseid is only repelled, not killed. When he returns, we might not be able to best him again." The Flash stated grimly afterwards.

"Even you, Flash? Darkseid isn't the only one who learns from this. I'm sure we'll all get much stronger. If all of us are as powerful as those Demon Angels, except Batman because he has no superpowers," The ring-wielder began, while glancing at an irate Batman.

"We can easily beat him! Where the hell are they anyway?" Hal ended, using his ring to create some sort of pulse to scan the area surrounding the group.

"Huh, that's odd. My ring can only detect two residual energy signatures, but they're disappearing fast. They've been emanating ridiculous amounts of radiation during the fight, so my ring should've picked up a lot more than just a few small spikes." Hal mused as he kept scanning the area around him.

"You don't think that they…?" Cyborg asked as his body was still recovering from the stress of demolishing a massive network of portals.

"That they've kicked the bucket? Well the little runt looked like he was putting his very soul into that flashy attack of his, so yeah that might be the case."

"Lantern, stop being so disrespectful and get to the point." Aquaman growled as he ticked the handle of his trident on the stone impatiently.

"Alright, relax. If all of us are fine, then they should be too. We just have to wait for them to appear." Green Lantern said finally. As the group of heroes just looked around, looking for even a sign of the two powerhouses, the only woman of the group spoke up.

"They won't come." She stated earnestly with a melancholic smile on her face.

"You've seen them, Diana?" Superman asked curiously. Diana grabbed her golden lasso and simply stared at the sky.

"They're venturing across the stars, accompanied by their pain and sorrow, searching for the truth." She simply answered as she placed her right hand over her heart.

"Okay then… In other words, they've ditched us." Green Lantern muttered with a shrug, but his dismissal did not sit well with the amazon, even though she knew that the green magician did not mean it with disrespect.

"They've suffered horribly at the hands of that monster! Yet they've set aside their hate and desire for vengeance to protect us from his onslaught! If their golden light did not shine with Elpis' power as a beacon for us, we might not have survived this day." She ended solemnly.

"Elpis?" Most of the group asked out loud as they tried to understand the foreign words the princess was speaking with.

"The Greek personification of hope," Batman answered as he grabbed Diana's shoulder.

"Diana, what happened when most of us were unconscious?" The detective asked. Batman's perceptive eyes were constantly focused on that golden lasso the amazon was tugging at. Maybe the lasso heightened her emotional sense, but he wasn't entirely sure. He saw Diana turning towards him while holding her lasso close to her heart.

"The lasso of Hestia compels you to tell the truth, but it also connects the souls of those who touch it." She explained, while closing her eyes.

"And _he_ touched it when _he_ protected you and Victor from Darkseid's Omega Beam?" Batman asked as the other heroes behind him listened intently. Diana didn't say anything for a moment, but she eventually did when she opened her eyes.

"I felt his pain, his regret, his sorrow. His… undying love…" A small tear was streaming down the woman's face, but only one. Her face was slowly hardening into resolve.

"This must not happen again. We have defeated a godly evil with the help of these angels of justice, but the wickedness in this world knows no bounds. We must spread justice, hope and truth to this world. We owe it to our heroes, our guardian angels." Diana stated as her smile turned radiant.

"You want us to form a team?" Hal asked incredulously. When everyone looked at him, he flung his hands in the air.

"I have an entire universe to protect! I'm already doing what you want me to do! This is a waste of my time!"

"Really, Hal? Look around you," The Flash began with a smile as Hal turned his head. There was a mass of people heading towards them, all cheering them on. Superman closed his eyes and listened closely to what they were shouting.

"They saved us!"

"Superman and his super-friends are the best!"

"God has given us a way to fight back!"

"Please, let me marry them!"

Superman smiled upon hearing the various frequencies of each individual's voice and turned towards his friends.

"I believe the people are agreeing with you, Diana." The Man of Steel said with a bright smile as he kept his eyes focused on Hal, who started to smile as well.

"Superman!" Kal-El heard as he saw two people heading towards them.

"Jimmy, take as much pictures as you can. Perry's going to love this!" Lois began as he and Jimmy were the only people who truly dared to get close to the group. She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and stared the Super-Seven down, while Jimmy held a camera in front of them.

"So, before I'm going to interview you all, how should we call you?"

The seven heroes all looked at each other for a moment, but eventually all of them nodded simultaneously.

"Well Lois," Superman began as he glanced at his smiling friends, before turning back the expectant journalist.

"You can call us the Justice League."

* * *

 _~The Pentagon, Washington D.C.~_

"Steve, thank you for coming here. You must have been quite busy with..." A man in his 60's began as a wounded soldier sat in front of a large rectangular table. They were sitting inside the Pentagon's deepest and best protected bomb shelter, where heavily armoured soldiers stood guard behind imposing titanium doors to protect the president from implausible extinction level events, like the alien attack that has ended just a moment ago. As soon as news came of the war's end, the president wanted this particular soldier to head here as soon as possible. The two of them were accompanied by another man with thick rimmed glasses, who placed various pieces of intel on the table.

"My most sincere apologies, Mister President, but Diana has always acted rash due to her upbringing. We tried to stop her, but she, well, wiped the floor with our best without breaking a sweat." The soldier known as Steve stated as he was breathing awkwardly. The president saw the man's face crunch into a painful grimace ever so often, probably due to a few broken ribs.

"I've tried to catch up with her, but all hell broke loose when these demons came out of an explosion. Last thing I saw of her was on some videos made by civilians back in the surveillance room, fighting these parademons in Metropolis with Superman and other super-powered individuals." The soldier ended grimly as he ran his fingers over his short blonde hair involuntarily.

"It is due to their efforts that the war is over now. Here," The president of the United States answered as he showed him his phone. Steve watched intently as a helicopter was flying over Metropolis Bay with its cameras zoomed in on Metropolis' most ambitious reporter, who was questioning seven colourful looking individuals. Steve recognized most of them, especially a certain raven-haired woman wielding a gladius in her hand.

"Live footage of our protectors. In a few hours we'll hold a ceremony to honour them and the millions of people that've lost their lives. As Wonder Woman's U.N. liaison, I want you to be there as well, Colonel Trevor." The president stated as the colonel nodded affirmatively.

"Yes, sir." The colonel answered as he was wincing slightly when he breathed out.

"But before we make the preparations, our Secretary of Defence has something to show to you." The president began as he turned to the man with the glasses. The person in question nodded at his superior and subsequently shoved various files towards the confused colonel, who opened them hesitantly.

What he saw were lots and lots of pictures of Earth's mightiest heroes fighting the parademon menace in Metropolis.

"Metropolis Bay, the epicentre of these worldwide attacks. We've received reports of demons heralding this 'god' and carving his name on our walls like punks with their graffiti sprays." The man sitting across from the president stated urgently as he stood up from his seat and walked towards Steve. The secretary placed his finger on top of a particular demon, who looked more like a behemoth made of stone.

"Darkseid is what they call this beast, their leader." The man ended as he glanced at the president for a moment as Steve looked at various other pictures. As the colonel was studying each of them intently, the Secretary of Defence decided to elaborate further.

"And while Metropolis has been hit the hardest, we've seen on satellite pictures that these 'parademons' have been clustering on various other strange parts in the world. It seems that Metropolis wasn't the only place where super-powered individuals fought these savage beasts." The man in glasses stated. He then pointed at various pictures that were taken in other locations.

"This is in Brooklyn, New York, where some sort of magician is waving her fingers around and acting like a witch."

Steve saw a woman with a black magician's hat, black fishnet stockings and a white corset with black linings waving with her fingers and using her vocal cords. In the subsequent pictures many parademons simply started to explode without cause. Small strings of energy were still visible as the woman glared at the rest of demons on the last picture.

"And this one is located in Sydney, Australia."

The second picture only showed a green blur with menacing crimson eyes, but the demons around the blur were acting all strangely and erratically, while holding their heads in agony.

"We don't know what the green blur's supposed to be, but we've heard more reports from other places in the world of this 'green blur'. This one is rather elusive. The only evidence we have besides the tales of questionable people is this picture and a strange drawing of our solar system, with the planet Mars being expressed more prominently." The secretary stated as he pushed the set away and showed the colonel the third set of pictures.

"This man, he calls himself Ra's al Ghul, which is Arabic for 'the Demon's Head'. We've… had problems with this man for quite some time now, who claims to rule part of the Arabian Peninsula. The strange thing about this man, is this."

Steve looked at a portrait of a stern-looking man wearing a traditional green Arabian robe and a cape that looked to be fluttering in the wind.

"This was a portrait that has been painted more than six-hundred years ago, if we can believe the archaeologists. Now, look at this picture, made by soldiers from Saudi-Arabia. It's a bit difficult to see."

Steve saw on the picture a man that looked exactly the same as the man on the portrait, commanding a group of shadowy figures. The picture showed him beheading one of the demons with a scimitar that had engravings of a snake etched on the blade.

"And now, the most important set." The president stated as he grabbed the last file on the table and showed it to the pondering colonel.

"This is what has pushed us to make extreme measures."

Steve saw a… humanoid with ridiculously long and spiky hair with a golden colour punching the behemoth known as Darkseid in the face. The resulting pictures showed another one who had the same hair flying in the sky and sending an energy beam down to earth. The rest of the pictures were blank.

"Many of the citizens who've watched these two heading towards Metropolis believe that they're God's angels of vengeance. Although I find that idea doubtful, we cannot deny their obvious power. Our scientists in Metropolis have measured a small amount of residual energy that decayed rapidly out of thin air after the massive blast." The secretary of defence said grimly as his face started show a hint of fear.

"If their calculations are as close to the truth as possible, then the output of that blast was massive enough to destroy the entire Earth! More even! Far more!" the man ended as he nervously tugged at his tie.

"That's… insane." Colonel Trevor muttered in disbelief.

"Our scientists believe that Superman is capable to destroy this planet as well, based on the measured amounts of kinetic energy generated when he flies. If this planet houses beings that could potentially wipe us all out, we cannot just stand by and do nothing." The president stated urgently as he forced the colonel to look at him.

"With all due respect, Mr. president, but what has this to do with me?" Steve finally asked. The president cut straight to the point.

"We're forming a new government agency, called A.R.G.U.S.: 'Advanced Research Group Uniting Superhumans'. This way we want to keep the peace with these people who've saved our planet. We want you to be its head, due to your experience with the amazon and your impressive military record with Team Seven." The president ended as he expectantly looked at the thunderstruck Colonel.

"I-I don't know if I can-" Steve began, but he was quickly cut off by the secretary of defence.

"Your salary will receive a huge raise, you'll receive various privileges and classified intel will always get to you and the president first. Also, we want you to publicly act as a liaison to the super-humans, which means you get to spend more time with that… amazon." The secretary pleaded. It was an offer the colonel really couldn't refuse, especially due to the governments knowledge of Steve's flirtatious endeavours with that woman from Greece.

"I'll give you some time to think about it. Just make sure that you're at the landing pad in two hours." The president told the conflicted soldier, who nodded affirmatively.

"Thank you, Mr. president." Steve could only stay as he was dismissed with a wave of the president's hand. The two suited men watched as the colonel disappeared behind the titanium doors and waited for a moment.

"Miss Waller, thank you for coming. Has he seen you?" The president suddenly asked as a brown-skinned woman with short black hair came out of the doors.

"He was immediately led to the field hospital, sir." The woman responded with a frown on her face.

"Good. He must not know what is going to be discussed here. His affiliation with that woman could compromise this operation." The president stated grimly as he glanced at his nodding secretary.

"Of course, Mister President. My lips are sealed." The woman promised as she took the seat that the colonel had used earlier.

"Now, Amanda, we have a job for you. One you cannot refuse. It involves, well," The president began as he looked at his secretary.

"A prison and a laboratory with technology that's even better than S.T.A.R. Lab's." The man with glasses ended.

"You have me intrigued, Mister President. Please, do inquire me more…"

* * *

 **Well folks, I hope that you've enjoyed this one! I enjoyed writing the dialogue, especially Wonder Woman's. I think I've really grasped the essence of her character, but that's for you to decide as well.**

 **This story's first arc is almost at an end and the next chapter will act as a prologue of what's coming next. I want to cover lots of different grounds in the DC Universe to give many characters their time to shine.**

 **Before I wish you all an excellent day, I want to talk about a certain topic that seemed to have fried the mind of a certain individual, who has expressed that rather obnoxiously in the review section. There has always been a debate going whether Goku (and on a lesser extent Vegeta) could beat a certain individual in comics, whether it's Marvel or DC. Opinions vary a lot, which is fine and understandable due to the fact that a character's power and skill can be interpreted in different ways and is sometimes inconsistent as well. Truly, it is mostly just conjecture that is based on facts (and even biased opinions to a lesser extent!) of that respective fictional universe. Comparing DBZ characters with DC is quite a difficult task due to the nature of their power, universe and inconsistent writing and my opinion on this matter will certainly not please everyone who reads this, but I want to dedicate my time to elaborate my thoughts on this subject.**

 **So, let's talk about Darkseid and his power compared to a Super Saiyan 3 Goku and Vegeta.**

 **If we can believe Cell's statement when he clashed with Teen Gohan that his Kamehameha could destroy the entire solar system, then we can assume that Goku and Vegeta in their current state, which is a bit after the Buu Saga (when Kid Buu was annihilated by the Spirit Bomb) can destroy more than a solar sytem. Maybe an entire galaxy if they do not compress all their power, but let it explode out of their body with lots of genki included in it. Destroying a universe however, is an entirely different scale. The first time we truly witnessed a DBZ character showing power that could potentially destroy an entire universe was Goku's clash as a Super Saiyan God with Beerus, which again, could be interpreted in different ways. I believe that Goku first grasped universal power when he did the Super Saiyan God ritual. Super Saiyan 3 is, thus, considerable weaker than universal, but probably strong enough to destroy a galaxy or even something as large as the milky way (again, this is all conjecture based on the interpretation of facts).**

 **Now about New 52 Darkseid, I've did some research and in Justice League (2011) #6, we've witnessed an entire dimension collapse on top of him, which he survived (The fact that this was the case was told in #51 of the same comic). Now that really doesn't give us (or rather, me) a grasp of how powerful Darkseid is, but it is still an impressive feat of durability.**

 **Also, when Darkseid fought his brother Highfather in Justice League #23.1, he has shown to casually destroy Urgrund (the planet where the Old Gods lived on) with his Omega Beams and probably due to his clash with Highfather as well. Both survived it seemingly with no harm, which indicates that they're at least planetary in nature. Now, planets can vary in size and density and we have no information to properly compare Urgrund with Earth, but it's still quite a feat.**

 **The third feat I want to mention is one that has shaped my opinion on Darkseid's power quite a lot. In Earth 2: World's End #24-25 he has shown to be able to withstand a punch from Alan Scott, who was powered by the 'Green' (a magical elemental force that encompasses all life on a single planet) of multiple Earths (which means also Swamp Thing powers and more). Even though we don't know whether Alan had absorbed the power of 52 Earths, or a potentially infinite number, it is still quite a feat.**

 **And the most important feat I want to mention is his clash against the Anti-Monitor back in the Darkseid War Event. This Anti-Monitor is the same one that caused the Crisis on Infinite Earths (I don't know a lot about this, but it seemed to have been a multiversal crisis, which is on a massive scale). Although some believe that this Anti-Monitor was underpowered, he still possessed he Anti-Life Equation and he had 'consumed' the entire Earth 3 universe if we can believe the Crime Syndicate back in Forever Evil and later, so Darkseid as shown to be able to go toe to toe with an universal being, even though he eventually lost due to the Flash, who had fused with the Black Racer thanks to the Anti-Monitor's anti life equation power.**

 **This has made up my opinion that Darkseid is a potential universe destroyer and if he hold the Anti-Life Equation, he would be even stronger! Thus, he would be stronger than a Super Saiyan 3 Goku and Vegeta. Now I want mention that Darkseid's power was sometimes inconsistent in his many New 52 incarnations in comics, like fighting Hellbat Batman, powergirl in World's End and even the Justice League from five years ago (like here!), but overall he has shown impressive feats. Now I want to state again, my (sometimes incoherent) rambling is all just conjecture based on facts that I've interpreted in my own way and I respect your opinion as well. In truth, I would appreciate it if you gave your insight in the comments, because I find that awesome to read.**

 **What we all share though, is a love for DBZ and DC and for that you guys and girls are fucking awesome!**

 **Please do not hesitate to review this story and cheers to you all!**

 **P.S.: I want to thank the Celestial Glowhead especially for helping me out on this adventure. I want to send you especially good vibes.**


	5. The eyes of ARGUS

**Arc 1: Five years ago, part 5: The eyes of A.R.G.U.S.**

The thunderous noise of air molecules colliding with a small spaceship reverberated throughout its interior as gravity from an unknown planet pulled it towards its lithosphere. It caused the sole inhabitant of the small spacecraft, which heavily resembled a simple spherical capsule, to wake up from a deep slumber. There were no windows, so the person had no idea what was initially happening, nor was he prepared to brace himself as the capsule finally crash-landed into the planet's crust. His seatbelt fortunately kept him from moving as the capsule bore itself into the earth before finally coming to a stop. The person heard a hissing sound that slowly started to fade and proceeded to push one of the buttons inside the ship. On the capsule's side, a small door opened up and the person stumbled out of it haphazardly.

The youth's face scrunched up with anger built from sheer hopelessness as he took in his surroundings.

"N-no… I-I failed…" The young man stuttered as he clenched the handle of the broadsword he was wielding even tighter than before while starting to shake involuntarily.

The entire area was ablaze. A stream was carrying lava towards lower grounds and in the distance the man could see numerous mountains spewing clouds of ash and chunks of molten rock. He stood on dark, powdery grounds that looked devoid of life and behind the lava river he could make out an ominous forest of metal trees. The sky seemed to be on fire as well; Strings of orange and crimson energy danced around fiery red dots that resembled stars. There was no mistaking of where he was.

This was Apokolips, the Planet of Hellfire.

"W-where are you…" The youth growled as his teeth started to grind against each other. His mind and memories were still hazy, but that did not supress his overflowing emotions. In this feral state, he did not even notice the numerous cuts, bruises and scorch marks on his exposed and fatigued body, nor did he feel the internal injuries that would inhibit any normal person from moving properly. His mind was focused solely on one thing, and that caused him to experience an emotion even worse than hatred.

"DARKSEID!" The man roared as an aura of golden plasma enveloped him. A legendary power surged through his body as his hair started to cluster and turn intensely spiky. Ash, stone and metal trees were blown away by the sheer force of the energy flares he was generating as his primal howl rung for miles around. The rumbling only stopped when the desperate man needed air to fill his tired lungs.

For a small moment, which felt like an eternity to the young man, the air was quiet. Nothing except for the flow of the lava river, the explosions from the row of volcanoes in the distance and the bellowing thunder from the sulfur clouds above them were heard, but that started to change when he felt his senses tingling.

The man immediately looked to the skies as he felt the presence of numerous individuals approaching him fast. Then the sound of rapidly rotating blades boomed in his ears as at least twelve strange flying metal monstrosities made themselves known and surrounded him from above. White spotlights started to point at him, momentarily blinding him.

" _Demon Angel! Drop your weapon and surrender now! The moment you don't do as I say, we will fire!"_ A shill and mechanized voice of a woman ordered as the numerous aircrafts conjured various machine guns from their underbellies. The warning only seemed make the youth's anger grow, however.

"How dare you! I will never surrender, Fury! I will paint the planet with your blood for what Darkseid did to _her_ and my world!" The man roared with rage while turning his head to snarl at the numerous aircrafts ready to pellet him with heavy fire. If he was going to die anyway, then he would die by tearing this planet asunder and hearing the screams of the monsters that robbed him from his home and family.

" _So be it. All birds, fire at will!"_ The mechanical voice screeched as a thunderstorm of metal bullets started to rain down on the golden fighter. His aura however, proved to be an indomitable barrier that incinerated every bullet that collided with it. In response to the gunfire, the man pointed his free hand at one of the flying aircrafts.

"HYAAAAH!" He roared as a yellow energy beam was shot from his palm. The lustrous beam collided harshly against the cockpit of one of the aircrafts and detonated on impact. Chunks of flaming debris and molten metal fell from the skies as the bird was annihilated in a fiery explosion. The aircrafts' remains striking the ashen ground seemed to influence the behaviour of the other crafts as some of them started to open their underbellies. Ropes were dispatched and numerous individuals started to slide down from them. Most of them looked human, but the warrior knew that some of Darkseid's soldiers looked human as well. The golden fighter did not wait for the soldiers to land and proceeded to take action.

"Lightning…" He began as he started to fly upwards.

"Sword…" With his broadsword in his hand, he started to point it at one of the carriers dropping off their pay-load. The blade started to glow white-hot due to the energy that surged into it.

"Flash!" The golden fighter ended as he finally let loose numerous shockwaves from his blade by slicing the air around him in sequence. The shockwaves were shot from all angles and either collided with one of the carriers, cut down the numerous ropes from the underbellies of the aircrafts, or severed various body parts from the soldiers, whose screams started to drown out the rest of the noises.

He did not stop at that and rapidly cut right through the still floating aircrafts. Explosion after explosion rocketed the landscape as the man's sword tore through the metal as if it was made of paper. He only stopped his onslaught when a spark of lightning moved around his body, shocking him momentarily. When he wildly turned to the ground, he found the source of the strike.

"What the hell? You just withstood more than 120 kilo Volts of lightning…" The young man, clad in a sleeveless black jacket with a black t-shirt with a red circle printed on it, stated with surprise, but his tone sounded sinister as well.

"Let's put up the Watts!" He cackled as hands started to generate fierce strings of blue lightning and shot it at the flying warrior above him.

BAM! The streak of lightning stuck the warrior and a cloud of smoke was formed around him. The super-powered soldier started to smirk when the warrior was gone after the smoke cleared.

"And Voltaic just earned his freedo-!" The wielder of lightning never managed to indulge himself in his euphoria, because he was brutally beheaded with a rapid strike from the golden fighter's broadsword. The man's fierce green eyes showed no mercy as he kicked the rest of the body away from him and crushed the lightning-powered youth's head. All around him, the other strange Apokoliptians hesitated to move towards him, despite their unique and dangerous abilities.

"Remember, Task Force X, managing to take him down will result in the erasure of your criminal record and a bank account of a billion dollars."

From behind the groups of soldiers, a dark-skinned woman clad in a black special ops outfit walked towards the front, with three other prominent looking individuals following behind her. It was the voice of the woman from earlier, but lacking the mechanized tone. Her voice immediately managed to ignite the golden fighter's fury, but her words also seemed to stir the soldiers' minds awake.

"Together we can take him!" One of the soldiers roared as the ones next to him joined in to boost their morals.

"That's right, ya criminal dipsticks! With that amount of cash, ya won't have to worry about pension! Not only that, ya can buy all the cars ya want, buy all the alcohol and drugs you need and fuck all the hookers three times a day, forever!"

The young man's eyes turned to a fury who had pearly-white skin, blonde hair tied in two pony tails whose tips were colored red and blue respectively, and wielded a giant hammer that had the stamp of a clown on its face.

"She's right, boys! All the women we want!" One of the criminals smirked, which managed to ignite the passion of the rest of the lot. It infuriated the golden warrior that these Apokoliptians were as horrible as the criminals that lurked in the shadows of his world, ready to rob and hurt anyone who couldn't protect themselves.

"Monsters, all of you! There was no remorse from your kin as they tore through the innocent families! Even children were not safe from your sadistic onslaught! I will avenge all of them!" He declared as he prepared himself to face an army of remorseless criminals.

* * *

 _~Siberia, Russian Federation, Five years later~_

The dark-skinned woman watched confidently as she stood in the snow, while a large group of her peons let loose their destructive powers to fight an alien threat with a demonic glare that crumbled the hearts of the weak-willed. She showed no compassion as the monstrous Demon Angel cut through the criminals with his heavy looking broadsword, while sometimes letting loose an energy blast that incinerated anyone who was unfortunate enough to cross its path.

"Waller, I hope you know what you're doing."

The woman looked to her right upon hearing the distorted voice of one of her best Task Force X soldiers. A man clad in a skin-tight armored suit that was black and red in coloration eyed her carefully. He wore a robotic mask with a mechanical right eye colored a blood red that was made using the latest military technology. The expensive piece of gadgetry helped the man immensely with his old expertise. In his hands he wielded a modified M107 sniper rifle, specialized to fire a certain type of bullet. Waller glanced at the magazine, which glowed a sickly green, before turning to face the man.

"This is the moment that we have all been waiting for, Deadshot. More than 60 billion dollars was invested in this operation alone, from preparing the lab for containment of arguably the most powerful being on the planet to financing the Kryptonite bullets that you're currently authorized to use at my command. When our scientists discovered this spaceship whose inhabitant showed to have a similar energy signature as the ones from five years ago heading to Earth, we needed to take action immediately, even if it could escalate into war between us and Russia." Waller answered as she turned her head towards the noises of the battlefield.

"I am not worried about Russia, Amanda. Ever heard of the 'Justice League', by any chance?" The marksman retorted sarcastically as Amanda watched another inmate heaving his last breath as he was diagonally sliced apart.

"They won't come. Our latest intel has shown Superman and Green Lantern heading to space in a hurry. The Flash is busy protecting his city from the Rogues, Aquaman is currently in the Atlantic, Cyborg's senses are being diverted with the help of our latest viruses, created by Lexcorp, Batman has been confirmed to be in Gotham City and Wonder Woman hasn't been seen for months, so I don't expect her to appear any time soon. This leaves us with enough time to properly contain this asset." Amanda ended with a smile on her face. Her thoughts temporarily shifted to the destruction of Metropolis from five years ago. That catastrophic battle had triggered a wave of metahuman and alien appearances in the coming years that the world simply wasn't ready for. The U.S. government came with a proposal towards the rest of the world and thus, A.R.G.U.S. was founded officially. Steve Trevor functioned as the agency's head and not only held authority over the so-called Red and Black Rooms, but also acted as a liaison to the Justice League to 'keep the peace'.

Amanda Waller, however, had a different job inside A.R.G.U.S. She was tasked to contain the rising metahuman population by overseeing the metahuman prison of Belle Reve located in Louisiana and what the criminals called 'La Fin d'Espoir', the secret laboratory under Belle Reve that had one sole function.

The creation of their very own 'Justice League'.

Scientists were baffled by the ridiculous display of power from the aliens that clashed in Metropolis, and the world, especially the United States, desperately desired control of the situation to prepare for a second war with the 'divine' being known as Darkseid. To manage that, the laboratory under Belle Reve was created where many scientists, most of them being shunned by the world due to their controversial methods of acquiring knowledge, were able to freely experiment on metahumans to either understand the nature of their power, or create their own metahumans by playing 'God'. Many powerful metahumans were secretly caught by her 'Suicide Squad', ready to be modified into their own superweapons. There was one ingredient missing, however, that was supposed to function as the squad's leader.

And that ingredient was currently painting Siberia's snow with the blood of Belle Reve's prisoners.

It was incredibly convenient that at this current moment the Justice League was nowhere to be found, because if they were, this would turn into huge scandal with a lawsuit at best and full out war against the current mightiest beings on this planet at worst.

"Mandy, if this continues on, then we'll be wishing that the Justice League was 'ere. That Demon Angel is ripping them apart like King Shark does his meals!"

Amanda turned to her left to see the deranged smile of Harley Quinn, the joker's damsel who was placed into Belle Reve's grounds when Batman brought her in for the seventh time due to her escaping Arkham Asylum continuously. She was pointing at a massive beast behind her, who looked like an anthropomorphic hammerhead with huge muscles and razor-sharp teeth. King Shark was shivering in the snow, probably due to him having an ectothermic metabolism.

"Don't worry, there's someone ready to take down the Demon Angel when he finishes with his tantrum." Amanda simply replied as she witnessed the golden fighter snapping the neck of one of the last metahumans squaring off against him and subsequently blasting the body to smithereens. The energy blast he generated from his palm travelled a bit further than probably intended and collided with the conifer forest close from here. Trees were ripped apart by the force of the blast and it made Waller wonder just how powerful these golden warriors truly were.

"Ya mean that guy? That's King Shark's daddy, right?" Harley Quinn asked as she pointed at a monstrous behemoth who resembled a large, sea-blue colored bipedal amphibian with electricity coursing around him. On his body he had various painted markings that glowed blue whenever the monster took a step on the cold snow. This behemoth was the last one standing of the prisoners and currently served as the only wall between the blood-lusted demon and Waller.

"Kamo, yes, our self-proclaimed Hawaiian 'Deity', but I'm not talking about him. Still, Kamo should be more than enough to keep the Demon Angel on his toes." Amanda began with a smirk as the monster known as Kamo stampeded towards the Demon Angel and was ready to deliver a right hook that coursed with electricity. He did manage to hit the golden fighter, but he wasn't even able to budge the alien. In response and with a rapid twist of his body, the Demon Angel severed Kamo's torso from the rest of his body, before slicing the Hawaiian deity into cold cuts. Before the monster's last remains could fall in the snow, the swordsman generated a wide energy blast that reduced them to ash. His eyes then fixated on the last four people remaining.

"Or not…" Waller muttered in disbelief as she finally started to realize how much she had underestimated this wounded warrior.

"That person needs to come ASAP if we want to survive, Waller!" Deadshot growled as he pointed his sniper at the approaching Demon Angel. The group could clearly see the muscled alien ready to take off and rip them apart, but he suddenly shifted his focus at something in the distance. Waller immediately sighed in relief.

"Just in time, it seems. We should retreat to a safe location, because a stand-off is going to take place that could potentially the whole of Siberia." She stated as she watched her strongest soldier landing in the cold snow, a few meters in front of the Demon Angel, readying himself for a cataclysmic battle.

* * *

The young man slowly, but methodically stepped over the remains of the Apokoliptians he had cut down mere moments ago while gazing murderously at the last group of monsters, but he simply could not ignore his senses when he felt something ominously powerful approaching.

Suddenly and with him barely realizing, a strange individual landed on the ashen ground in front of him. His skin looked like onyx, colored a dark shade of blue. Around his body, streams of liquid lava flowed and centered on his torso in the shape of a star. His eyes were fierce and colored crimson. Those eyes looked the same as…

"Y-you…" The youth seethed as his aura started to grow more intense. He watched as the Fury and her henchmen started to retreat, but he paid them no mind.

"Greetings, Demon Angel. I am known as Wraith, and I advise you to surrender now. You have three fractured ribs and your muscle fibres are full of tears. Those other metas weren't able to hurt you, but you will realize that my power is even beyond that of the Kryptonian. Truly, in your current state, you stand no chance." The dark-blue behemoth stated calmly as he stood his ground.

"I've fought with worse injuries than this and I will never back down! Especially not to one of Darkseid's heirs! I will make you suffer for what your father did!" The young man declared as he pointed his broadsword at the being known as Wraith.

"And you clearly are in a delusional state, but I don't think my words will get through you. No, I have to be a bit more unreserved. I always wondered how it felt to not hold back every time…"

The fatigued golden fighter was barely able to react when the monster known as Wraith delivered a brutal punch to his guts. His eyes almost bulged out of his sockets as he was launched away. When he finally managed to stop his momentum, Wraith was immediately ready to deliver another brutal blow. This time, the youth was ready.

WOOSH! The young man noticed Wraith's surprise when he managed to move behind him, while leaving an afterimage in his wake. With a heavy kick to the back, Wraith was launched away in turn. The youth immediately realized that something was terribly wrong.

Why did he feel like he was hitting katchin all over again?

He quickly forced his surprised thoughts into the back of his head as he rushed towards the still flying individual, and with a powerful upwards kick he launched the monster to the skies. Using his golden powers, he materialized high above the still flying individual and readied his broadsword.

"Die!" He screamed as he vertically sliced his sword down, ready to tear through Wraith with one powerful slice.

CLANG! The youth's furious gaze turned into shock as he witnessed the Apokoliptian swiftly turning his body and blocking the strike with his forearm. His blade cut deep through Wraith's flesh, but it stopped when he hit bone. A metallic clang was heard as his blade started to vibrate. As the youth tried to pull his blade free, two red beams from the monster's eyes were fired at his torso, scorching his exposed chest and sending him flying with his blade still stuck in the monster's forearm. Immediately he witnessed Darkseid's son chasing after him, while pulling the blade from his underarm. The golden fighter had no time to react when Wraith appeared in front of him and cleaved the warrior's torso with his own sword. Then, the dark-blue monster delivered a haymaker with his free arm that sent him tumbling to the ground.

The young man could do nothing as his body crashed into the ground. A small crater had been formed and the youth was wheezing heavily from the pain. A lot more of his ribs felt broken thanks to the monster's heavy strike and blood was flowing from the gaping wound that lied diagonally from his left shoulder to the right underside of his breast.

"I warned you, Demon. You stand no chance." The broken warrior heard as he saw his blade piercing the ground next to him as the Apokoliptian levitated in front of him. While he forced himself to stay awake, he watched as the monster's wound started to disappear completely. It reminded him on an old nemesis that sparked his resolve into an even brighter flame. He was out of energy and he felt his body ready to crumble, but there was still something that he had not yet given.

"Even when your body is beyond your breaking point, you still manage to generate such vast amounts of power… Your imprisonment is indeed necessary to keep this world safe." The behemoth stated as the energy around his core started to move around his entire body. The youth felt the monster's energy signature starting to become more prominent, but that did not stop him from crawling out of the crater.

"Mother, Gohan, father, Goku… give me strength… I will end his reign!" The youth pleaded as he felt the depths of his soul starting to power up his entire being.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" The golden warrior roared as his already spiky hair started to turn even more rigid, while bluish lightning started to cackle around him, ionizing the sickly air around him.

"Wraith, knock him out, now!" The youth's ears picked up the sound of the Fury through his own screams, but ignored it as he pushed himself to even greater heights than before, for the second time in his life.

"This ends now!" Wraith roared as orange and crimson energies leaked from his body when he took off, ready to knock the Demon Angel out with a brutal punch. He wasn't ready for the golden warrior's retaliation, however.

Before Wraith's punch hit home, the delusional warrior expertly side stepped and proceeded to deliver a roundhouse kick to the Apokoliptian demon's torso. As Wraith was sent flying, the youth started to move upwards.

"I will avenge everyone, even if it costs me my life!" The golden warrior roared as the wind started to pick up when he gathered ridiculous amounts of energy in his palms. When he saw Wraith finally recovering, he let it all go.

MASENKO!" The youth finally roared as he shot a yellow beam of energy at Darkseid's son. It immediately collided with the monster, who was unable to dodge it in time. Subsequently, the entire world started to shake…

* * *

Amanda could not believe her eyes as she tried her best to keep herself balanced from the shaking of the earth. She had only seen it on video files, but witnessing an energy beam from this close, ready to tear the planet asunder, was something else entirely.

"Deadshot, shoot the kryptonite bullets!" She roared through the fierce surging of the Demon Angel's area as she watched Wraith trying desperately to push the beam back. If this blast managed to come through Wraith, the entire planet would be destroyed.

"On it, Waller!" Deadshot immediately replied as he used his expert marksman skills to stay balanced despite the shaking of the ground. Loud bangs were heard as numerous green-glowing bullets were shot at the golden light in the sky, but even the durable Kryptonite was incinerated when it collided with the Demon Angel's golden barrier.

"Fuck! Now what, Amanda! You just had to poke the wrong hornet's nest!" Deadshot cursed as he was unable to keep himself balanced anymore. Cracks started to form on the ground as the Suicide Squad witnessed Wraith being pushed further into the planet's crust.

"Well, it was good while it lasted!" Harley Quinn cackled as she simply watched the spectacle unfold with a goofy smile on her face, while King Shark stood stiff on the snowy ground as hypothermia loomed ever closer over the hammerhead, barely reacting to the madness around him.

Waller could only watch with a grimace on her face as she lamented herself for being unprepared despite the odds. She had expected Wraith to be able to deal with the warrior, but these 'Demon Angels' seemed to defy all the odds. Their power source wasn't some external fuel from the stars. No, it came from inside them. Her scientists were constantly debating whether their power was mystical or scientific in nature. What they did know, though, thanks to the numerous secret footage of the Battle of Metropolis, was that their power source was finite. Waller's smirk slowly started to resurface as she refocused and scanned the Demon Angel thoroughly.

"Hmm, interesting…" She muttered as she witnessed the warrior's golden aura starting to become less prominent. He slowly became visible again through his area and Waller used a set of binoculars to properly asses even further what was happening to the youth.

"Lucky us, the bastard is looking tired." Deadshot remarked as Amanda saw the youth's stance starting to slacken. This caused his energy beam to weaken as well, which was the perfect opportunity for Wraith to push the beam back.

"Wraith, this is your chance! Knock him out!" Waller roared as she saw Wraith slowly starting to pierce through the beam, while gaining speed. Eventually, he arrived in front of the mysterious warrior and with a brutal punch to the face, the youth was launched to the ground. Immediately the rumbling stopped as the young man's golden hair turned lavender when he fell in the snow. Wraith levitated above his foe to scan whether he was conscious, but that didn't seem to be the case at all.

"If he was healthy, you would've lost horribly, Wraith." Amanda stated as she kicked the man's head for good measure when arrived at the scene of the crime. Wraith looked extremely worn, with his skin showing third-degree burns, but due to his physiology heavily resembling that of a Kryptonian, he already started to heal.

"A sunbath is the only thing I need to take on this foe." Wraith replied as calmly started at his fallen enemy.

"Hmm, Harley, Deadshot, prepare the Demon Angel for containment. Wraith, gather his belongings." Amanda simply stated as she grabbed a radio from her pocket.

"This is Mother Wall, over, asset ready to be extracted." She hissed through the comm.

" _Copy that, Mother, extraction e.t.a. ten minutes."_ The comm replied as Amanda sighed, while watching her Suicide Squad cuffing the unconscious warrior, while Wraith was pulling the man's ship out of its crater. She herself simply decided to look at the Aurora that was dancing above them in a colourful greenish hue with a haughty smirk on her face. To her, tonight was a successful night.

* * *

 _~The Batcave, Gotham City~_

The rapid ticking on a keyboard echoed throughout a massive cavern as a tall and imposing individual scanned the information on the various screens of his computer. The cavern was located right under Wayne Manor and served as the headquarters of the most feared vigilante in all of Gotham.

The Batman growled audibly at video footage as his Bat-drone continued to record the Task Force X soldiers 'cleaning' the devastated area in Siberia to erase traces of a catastrophic battle that had taken place. Body parts of the fallen A.R.G.U.S. 'soldiers' were piled on top of each other and subsequently incinerated by the Superman imposter known as Wraith, while real A.R.G.U.S. agents were placing the Saiyan in some sort of tube in liquid, while connecting his body through a computer system using various infusions for experimentation and monitoring purposes. As much as Bruce hated the loss of life inflicted by the delusional Saiyan, he could only sympathize with him if his words spoke true of the trauma he had sustained. The God of Evil wasn't seen or heard from for years now, but that didn't mean that the God of Evil was simply biding his time. Waller only made the situation worse by immediately engaging the distraught warrior, believing that she stood a chance due to having that elusive alien known as Wraith on her side.

Not much was really known of this 'Wraith'. The few things that Batman could find were files of someone having the same powers as this Wraith acting as the Nagasaki Bomb during World War II. Either Wraith's species had a very long life span or this was the older one's son. Before Batman's mind could come up with further theories, his bat-computer alarmed him of a presence inside his home.

"How was your trip into space?" The Bat asked immediately as his voice resonated throughout the vast cavern.

"I was initially surprised that Hal needed my help while he has an entire corps watching his back, but when I arrived, well…"

From one of the darkest corners of the cave, a floating man wearing a blue bodysuit, a red cape and the symbol of an 'S' on his chest appeared and landed a few meters behind the Dark Knight, who turned his head in response.

"Who was he?" Batman asked as his most trusted friend hesitated to answer it properly.

"He called himself Helspont, a Daemonite Overlord or something like that. He had a massive army hidden in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and was ready to lay siege on our home. He was searching for _them_ and said something about a spherical artefact surging with divine power. We managed to fight him off with the help of not only the Green Lantern Corps, but also a strange group of heroes who called themselves Stormwatch. Unfortunately, he's still out there and probably planning to raid our planet in search of answers in the near future." Superman debriefed as he scratched his chin in thought.

"His assumptions might not be far off regarding the artefact." Batman simply replied as he opened up a few files of various locations on Earth. Superman rapidly scanned the various maps and tilted his head in confusion.

"Themyscira… Nanda Parbat… Kahndaq? What's this, Bruce?"

"Possible locations of an artefact Diana calls a 'Dragon Ball'. It is what she's been trying to locate for months now. She believes that the artefact will lead us to the whereabouts of our Saiyan allies from five years ago. I assumed that the artefact is magical in nature, so I helped her out by narrowing down on various mythical locations that supposed to reside on this planet." Bruce answered as he allowed Superman to read through the various files.

"She's still searching for them, isn't she? Even after all this time, after all our efforts to find them, she never gave up hope. She never told us what she felt when one of them touched her lasso and what she heard before they left our planet. What awakened inside her heart that caused her to be enthralled by their existence?" Superman wondered with a sad smile as he turned towards his friend. Batman didn't answer him and showed Superman the video footage of what had transpired during the Man of Steel's absence.

"It doesn't matter what she felt during that time. I hope that her intuition is right. Look at this, Clark. A.R.G.U.S. has crossed a line." Batman stated as he played the video 20 times its normal speed. Kal-El's face contorted into various emotional states as he watched the footage of the golden fighter cleaving numerous metahumans in half, before falling at the hands of the being known as Wraith.

"They have a Saiyan, a different one, Clark. This one is clearly suffering from a severe case of PTSD from a trauma suffered at the hands of Darkseid."

Darkseid, a name that struck fear into the hearts of many in this universe. Every alien that he came across ever since the Parademon Invasion has heard of this almighty and evil monarch. Superman never truly 'hated' someone, but even he could make an exception just this once. Diana and Cyborg especially were disgusted by that divine monster's horrendous acts in the name of conquest, due to them having witnessed Darkseid's atrocities the best. Before Superman could get lost deeper into his thoughts, Batman started to speak again.

They're going to weaponize him, Clark. If we don't stop them and our old 'allies' find out, it means…"

"War, Bruce, I know. Did you manage to find where A.R.G.U.S. has taken him and the various other captured metahumans?" Superman then asked as he clenched his fist in anger.

"There's a laboratory located under Belle Reve. They've reinforced its walls with lead to prevent you from looking through it, but Batgirl and Red Robin managed to hack into its computer systems for a small moment. They acquired some… interesting reports and profiles of the metahumans A.R.G.U.S. is experimenting on."

Superman's eyes started to glow fiercely as he read about not only criminals that the Justice League has personally stopped from terrorizing the planet, but also various alien species and innocent people who possessed the so-called 'Metagene'. The strongest or most unique ones were experimented on inside that laboratory, while the others functioned as the so-called 'Suicide Squad'. These people were forced to work for A.R.G.U.S. in exchange for their freedom, but in reality the mortality rate was basically 100 percent.

"They're afraid, Clark, especially of you and the two Saiyans hiding somewhere in this multiverse. Their fear is what's driving them to create their own super-soldiers. It's in our nature to be afraid of a higher power. We cannot risk a metahuman war between ourselves. Innocent lives will be lost and we would quickly fall victim to extra-terrestrial threats. What if Brainiac returns, or Darkseid even? And now, we have this 'Helspont' to worry about as well." Batman calmly explained as the World's Finest contemplated their options.

"If they're truly experimenting on metas, then we cannot let this injustice slide. It's not even about the Saiyan, it's about everyone who's been captured, tortured and experimented on. A.R.G.U.S. believe that their authority is above basic human rights, which is truly horrible. However, if we address this situation, it will cost us our approved autonomy and compromise the entire foundation we have built up over the years for fighting crime throughout the entire planet." Superman mused as he continued to read the files, before turning back to Batman.

"Does Steve even know about this? I cannot fathom him having anything to do with this, despite his… problems with Diana." Clark began as he walked around his friend to face him properly.

"Colonel Trevor doesn't know. A.R.G.U.S. is using him as a puppet, but he could help us bring this to light. That way, we could formally initiate a lawsuit that would potentially minimize the 'damage'."

"And if that doesn't work?" Superman finally asked as he crossed his arms.

"Then I do what I'm good at." Batman ended as he walked away from the computer, leaving Superman to wonder how much the world had changed in the wake of Darkseid's invasion…

* * *

 _~Far away, in the depths of space~_

The uproarious laughter, wails and boos of a massive crowd of various alien species felt like music to the ears of a short and lithe individual as his punch pierced right through the gut of his latest victim, a tall and pink-skinned humanoid with a black ponytail.

"W-What are yo-" The pink-skinned warrior wheezed before his body was ignited by a sudden burst of energy, leaving only ash. The remaining fighter eyed his surroundings with a smirk on his face as food, weaponry and even faeces was thrown at him from all angles of the coliseum, but everything merely bounced off from the man's white surging aura.

While ignoring the crowd for a moment, the individual turned to a balcony where a yellow-colored titan glared furiously at him. He was the self-proclaimed 'emperor' of this place; a gigantic spherical machine known as Warworld. It was a feared place throughout the entire universe, but that did not stop the small warrior from heading inside it. This 'planetoid' housed something that the warrior desperately craved, and he was only going to leave when he had it in his hands.

"So, 'Emperor' Mongul, did you truly consider these lowlifes to be a match for me? If I did not know any better, I would believe that you were underestimating me. Now, I believe I have earned that 'Ball." The warrior boasted as he gave Mongul a haughty smirk.

"One. More. Fight. Puny man." Mongul answered as he was seething profusely. The small warrior gave the alien warlord a curious look when he saw the Emperor jumping off his balcony. The ground began to shake when he landed, cracking the stone due to his heavy stature. The crowd around the two began to clap and whistle loudly, which made the 'puny man' chuckle.

"I was wondering when the big boss finally decided to do his own dirty work. I give you one minute at best before I've pounded your ugly face into the ground." The small warrior taunted as his long, flaming hair fluttered due to his white aura. He witnessed the behemoth slowly heading towards him with a mighty battleaxe in his hand and was ready to take his signature battle stance, but a tingling in his senses momentarily distracted him. He turned to the open skies, which revealed only star light, while gazing at something unseeable in the distance.

"Oh, trying to escape now, little one? CLOSE THE DOME!" Mongul roared as the flame-haired warrior saw a massive metal roof being placed on top of the coliseum, closing the entrance from above.

"No, that can't be Kakarot…" The warrior muttered while ignoring the display before finally turning to his opponent. He would have to ponder about what he sensed later. He had a mission to complete.

"I've heard tales of your exploits, little one. You claim to be the strongest being in the universe, feared by even the Guardians for your godly might, but I only see a puny human, a monkey even. I don't even need my Yellow Ring to best you." Mongul smirked as the crowd's obnoxious laughter echoed throughout the dome.

"Oh, you are questioning my claims of superiority over the likes of you? Well then, let me show you first hand the true power of the Prince of all Saiyans!" The smirking warrior ended as his white aura started to flicker into a golden light…

* * *

 **Greetings, readers! I want to thank all of you for the kinds words. I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter as well. This one was a bit gory and tragic and it took a bit longer than expected, because I've rewritten this piece a lot in the last month. I wanted to focus a bit on world-building and different perspectives of characters fighting against each other. Also, I didn't really know whether I should make this the last chapter of the first arc, or the first chapter of the second arc. I've decided to do the former and next chapter will kick in the next phase.**

 **Regarding the chapter, Wraith, Kamo and Voltaic are the same people who were introduced in the New 52 era of comics and I tried to describe them as best as I can. Voltaic and Kamo didn't show any serious feats that could defeat a Super Saiyan, even though he was severely wounded. Our hero from the future could one-shot them in base form any day of the week. Wraith however, was introduced as someone stronger than the New 52 Superman. Now, he doesn't have any 'planet destroying' feats other than the mini super-nova (we don't know how strong that one is, like most feats in DC comics and DBZ), but I assumed that due to his physiology and Trunks' weakened state, he was able to overpower the young man as a Super Saiyan. Trunks rose to new heights in the chapter as well and was close to full power, but his body simply couldn't handle the Ascended form, so he lost his power extremely quickly as well, which resulted in his loss.**

 **One more thing as well. I want to thank everyone who has defended me regarding a certain angry individual. I've spoken with him through PM's, but we do not seem to agree on almost anything regarding this crossover. I tried to debate with him to a certain extent, but my patience even starts to dwindle when you only receive words of profanity and obnoxious subjectivity in return. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to live with it.**

 **Well, I'm done with my gibberish. Have a nice day!**


	6. A fiery omen

**Chapter 6: A fiery omen**

 **Arc 2: Lost dreams, part 1: A fiery omen**

 _~Belle Reve, Louisiana, one month later~_

A perpetual scream echoed throughout the halls and chambers of a massive underground facility, its soundwaves never going further than the walls encompassing the compound. It wasn't just a bone-chilling scream of agony, or a cry for help that wasn't going to come. No, this was a scream of resignation, of finally losing hope. One, of giving up.

Next came the sobbing that soon quieted down to merely a whimper as the owner of the broken scream lied on her side, pulled her knees up, and started rocking back and forth to console herself. Even with her incredibly powerful physiology, her body, mind and soul simply couldn't bear the heartless torture for eternity. Her will was bound to break apart eventually.

" _Subject A-025, designated 'Starfire', has not shown sufficient feats of durability at the desired threshold to implement into the P-MAZE-operating system. Other species required to fill in said gap."_ Stated the monotonous voice of a pulsing computer connected to the room the research subject was housed in.

"Hmm, implement the observations and results of her UV absorption and manipulation abilities into the database. Increase the amount of radiation in the next session. I also want a profile of the intricacies of her cellular behaviour during absorption." Replied the cold voice of a bald man with a deformed head, who pushed a bright red button on the computer's control panel rather dismissively. Immediately, two humanoid droids with the only feature on their face being a bright red terminator eye, headed inside the observation room and grabbed the whimpering alien by her arms, subsequently dragging her back to her cell. The bald scientist paid the alien no mind as he gnashed his teeth in anger and walked out of the observation room. He did not care in the slightest about his subjects' health, only about results.

"Computer, give me a report on the P-MAZE's current hypothetical abilities and functions." The man declared as he bypassed rows upon rows of specially designed prison cells containing various alien and metahuman specimens.

" _Affirmative, Professor Ivo. Downloading files now."_ Replied the computer as the professor headed inside another room, where another bald man in a white lab coat was studying a broadsword, which had been in possession of one of the subjects here. The man in question had only one functioning eye, because his right eye had a vertical scar in the form of a lightning bolt.

Professor Ivo promptly ignored his colleague as he took a seat at one of the tables and grabbed his tablet. Through the piece of technology, he heard the voice of his personal computer.

" _Files downloaded, would you like me to summarize the findings?"_ It asked.

"Naturally, now proceed." Ivo growled as he paid close attention to the tables and graph which were being displayed.

" _The P-MAZE-operating system, unlike its predecessor, does not contain metagene-replicating-enzymes that are triggered by exposure of metahuman abilities through sensory perception. Instead, various genes that code into supernatural abilities are already implemented into its complex synthetic DNA structure. This can potentially result in stronger and more stable power manifestations and abilities, but at the cost of diversity."_

"I already know that, I wrote it myself! Give me a chart, including the donor of each ability." Ivo growled as the computer did what it was told. Immediately the professor scanned through it, while the computer spoke to him the intricacies out loud.

" _Subject A-025's, designated 'Starfire', unique physiological abilities such as linguistic assimilation and UV-absorption that enhances her natural abilities have been replicated into P-MAZE's DNA structure, despite her durability not reaching the desired threshold. Her power to expel blasts of solar energy, dubbed 'Starbolts', are still being implemented. Her DNA structure indicates that it is not a natural Tamaranean ability, but a manifestation as a result of older experiments into her DNA which weren't done here. The gene for said ability is still being researched."_

"Good, warn me when it's finished. I would like to test that ability out. Continue." The professor stated anxiously as he himself continued to read.

" _P-MAZE's electrokinesis is derived from subject M-013, designated 'Kamo'. No other abilities of significance have been found in the short time he was under experimentation, other than his amphibious physiology."_

"And what about subjects M-022, M-023, M-024 and A-033?"

" _Subject M-022, designated 'Raven', has been a difficult case. Doctor Sivana has been tasked with acquiring the necessary knowledge, due to most of her abilities being magical in nature. Currently, we have only been able to isolate the genes and replicate her affinity for magic that are derived of her being a Homo magi. However, the metahuman genes of subjects M-023 and 024, designated 'Kid Flash' and 'Terra', have been successfully implemented without any repercussions."_ The mechanical voice ended. Professor Ivo started to fidget with his lab coat as he waited for more information, which did not seem to come.

"And? A-033?" He finally asked, almost snarling.

" _Subject A-033, designated 'Demon Angel', does not have any profitable abilities to include into the P-MAZE operating system."_

"WHAT! Give me his profile! Explain this, now!" The professor seethed as he received a chart. When he scanned it thoroughly, he angrily discarded the tablet into the nearest wall.

"No sufficient powers and abilities?! His kin's power displays shook the entire planet! They shot beams containing more energy than we could generate in a decade!" Ivo snarled as he wiped the sweat off his bald head. He quickly headed towards the nearest monitor to re-evaluate the alien's profile.

" _Subject A-033's biochemical reactions are heavily similar to Homo sapiens and do not show any significant results, even when incited by boosts of adrenaline. Although his bones seem to be of a higher density and his metabolic rate is higher than that of the average human, the Demon Angel currently hasn't shown any significant powers to implement."_

"But you can clearly see that his cells possess an extra organelle next to the mitochondria. His blood also contains hormones that are not found in humans, probably to incite the transformation where his hair turns gold. I want his unique DNA structure to be implemented, despite the lack of significant findings. If only Waller let me wake him up for experimentation…" Professor Ivo growled as he walked away from the monitor and back to the table. Before he reached it, his colleague suddenly started to speak up.

"I see that your lack of knowledge regarding the Demon Angel's power manifestations has resulted in a lack of improvement to your android, Professor Ivo."

"Do not patronize me, Doctor. You do not seem to be doing any better yourself with your personal goals, considering the lack of a viable cure for your family's illness." Professor Ivo answered, while he took a seat. Doctor Sivana's eyes glowered for a moment, but eventually decided to remain courteous.

"I find it rather curious that your android does not contain any Kryptonian DNA. You did specify a durability problem after all. It would also alleviate a potential strength and flight problem as well." Doctor Sivana began as he took a seat at the other side of the table.

"No other Kryptonians, other than Superman, have been sighted. It would be most fortunate if I got my hands on a DNA sample." Replied the professor as he turned towards his colleague.

"What about Wraith? His powers seem to be rather similar."

"That would have been an excellent proposition, if not for my lack of ability and authority to get it. Waller keeps him on a tight leash."

Both the doctor and professor sighed heavily at that statement. Despite the perks of being part of this research facility as the two highest stationed scientists, the amount of authority and control they had left much to be desired. The extremely strong creatures such as Wraith and the Demon Angel were generally off-limits to experiment on. Wraith, because he was Waller's right hand, while the risk for waking the Demon Angel was simply too high, for Waller at least.

"So now you're just mindlessly torturing your subjects to make your android stronger?" Doctor Sivana enquired dismissively as he stood up.

"I don't care about their feelings, their wants and needs. I want results, I want-"

"Immortality, I know. I still wonder why that android is necessary for that goal. Not that I care, that is none of my business of course." Doctor Sivana said as he typed a few notes on his own tablet. Meanwhile, Professor Ivo kept staring at him irritably.

"What is the point of this conversation, Thaddeus? If you do not have something useful to say, then please extradite yourself from my presence." Professor Ivo eventually growled as he stood up. In response, Doctor Sivana smiled smugly.

"Now, now, let's not get hasty here, Anthony. I am here to improve that android on behalf of our dear executive. I have uploaded the results of my experimentations on subject M-022. Now, I have all the time to work on our biggest mystery. Please, follow me." Doctor Sivana urged as he stood up and motioned his colleague to follow him. Eventually, they came at a stop in front of an experimental setup, where the broadsword Sivana was researching was being displayed. To Ivo, the object didn't look any different from a general sword, but Doctor Sivana was nonetheless enthusiastic.

"Look at the results of the XRF-scan. This blade is partly of a metal that's never seen before. It is extremely durable, yet significantly ductile and malleable. It barely loses its sharpness as well, and I haven't been able to find its melting point yet." The Doctor inquired admirably, to which Anthony snorted.

"Do you study metallurgy, or magic? I don't care about the intricacies of this blade." Professor Ivo snorted. He was about to turn around when Doctor Sivana interrupted him.

"I am not finished, Professor. This blade also contains faint trails of magic, and more importantly, another type of energy. Something that practically no one on this planet utilizes. That part, is interesting to you, Professor." The Doctor stated as he headed out of the room towards a different part of the laboratory. Using a set of passwords and identification cards, he managed to open the five-meter thick titanium doors blocking the two scientists' path. Eventually, they arrived in front of a large tube containing a greenish liquid. Inside the tube was a dormant person with lavender hair, wearing an oxygen facemask. His entire body was connected to wires that uploaded his bodily activities towards the main computer.

"We have been looking at this alien's powers the wrong way. The incredible amounts of power he generates, are only partially explainable when you look at his genome. The secret is a bit more metaphysical than that."

"What are you implying, Doctor? That he utilizes some form of energy that is neither scientifically or magically explainable?" Professor Ivo asked as he squinted his eyes at the lavender-haired man sleeping in the tube.

"I believe it is a combination of both. The faint trails of mystical energy I found on the blade line up with his natural energy signature." Doctor Sivana stated as he opened the alien's biological profile on the monitor.

"Although his genome contains certain interesting attributes, such as a gene for a fifth limb, higher bone density and even an organelle that might be used to 'transform' into his golden state, his planet destroying powers do not necessarily come from that. I believe that he is utilizing spiritual energy that only the monks of Asia have been studying for centuries. They call it 'ki' or 'chi'." The Doctor ended. Professor Ivo was silent for a moment, but eventually started to laugh.

"Ki?! What nonsense are you talking about, Doctor? This is an extra-terrestrial, not a monk."

"Do you have a better explanation, Professor? From analyses of the footage we have, you can clearly see that he conjures energy from an unknown source. Why does his anger increase the amount of energy leaking from his body? Where is the source of his energy? Have you found any type of organelles that absorb radiation that is similar to a Kryptonian or Tamaranean?" Thaddeus asked knowingly.

"Hmm, and what if your theory's correct? How do you intend to test your hypothesis?" Professor Ivo inquired.

"The monks believe that this spiritual energy comes from the very soul and can be triggered by emotion. In order to see if it's true, we merely need to wake him up and incite his temporal lobe."

"Waller's specifically told us that-"

"Waller's not here now, is she? She's dealing with the Justice League. We just wake him up for a moment. If it does go wrong, we can easily absorb the energy he generates through the tubes." Doctor Sivana stated. At first, Professor Ivo looked apprehensive. Despite his cold exterior, he was actually extremely afraid of the metahumans which were housed here. They could kill him on a whim, and he was afraid of the very notion of death. Then again, his android would never be complete if he couldn't test the full extent of the donor's capabilities. Eventually, he resigned.

"Fine, I'll stop the flow of narcotics into his system." The Professor stated, a smirk forming on his face at the prospect of completing his android. He needed only to press a button and type in a few passwords to stop the flow of the many liquids going through the alien's infusions.

"Now, we simply have to wait for it to wake up." Doctor Sivana ended as the two scientists waited anxiously for a sign of awakening. It didn't take long before the Demon Angel opened his eyes…

* * *

 _~United States Capitol, Washington D.C.~_

For the longest time, Superman kept floating a few kilometres above Washington D.C, contemplating about what was soon going to happen. The clear blue sky, warm rays of sunshine and cool breeze were an antithesis towards the direness of the current situation, and Superman was far from comfortable.

Today was the lawsuit, or something akin to that. It was actually going to be more of a tense meeting or debate between opposing superpowers, which was disappointing, but expected. Its sole theme was of course about the events that had happened around five years ago and the powerhouses who partook in these events, in particular the golden warriors.

He and Batman initially tried to accuse A.R.G.U.S. of the numerous abductions and experiments they had done over the years. The footage Batman managed to acquire incited only one word into the Man of Steel's mind.

Torture. Horrible, needless torture.

But due to lots of bureaucracy and nepotism, Amanda Waller managed to twist their pleas for justice into an accusation of withholding important information regarding the aftermath of the Battle of Metropolis. As powerful as the Justice League was, they had no control over the internal politics of the United States, so this result was, like he thought earlier, expected.

Superman still found it surreal that the government allowed this cruelty to stand in the first place. Didn't they realize that what they were doing was against everything that America stood for, especially freedom and human rights? Was their lack of control and fear of beings like him truly enough to justify kidnapping and experimenting on metahumans and aliens, to create some sort of 'anti-Justice League'?

In some ways, Kal-El could understand. Compared to him, a human was just… so weak and fragile. They were practically powerless if he ever went rogue. But there lied the problem now, didn't it? Did he have more right to live compared to an average human, just because he could lift the entire planet or fly faster than a photon? Of course not. All life is precious, yet only a few people seem to feel the same way as he, unfortunately. Sometimes he wished he could just snap his fingers and make the world realize that happiness, trust and kindness were far more important than power. That is what the Justice League tried to represent by helping those in need. It was important that the world could trust in them again, and that they have the people's best interests at heart. In order to do that, some secrets were needed to be addressed. Today, the truth of the Demon Angels would come to light.

And it was something the world wasn't going to like.

Kal-El still remembered that time when they first appeared vividly. How could he not? Literally the entire planet was under attack by a malevolent god by the name of Darkseid. It was humanity's darkest hour in at least two thousand years, yet so suddenly two rays of golden light came out of nowhere and gave the world a fighting chance to banish back the darkness. For five years, the League led the world to believe that they were angels containing God's demonic wrath and desire for justice, but in reality they were the same as Kal.

They were aliens, a race called the Saiyans. From what they had shown, they were more powerful than a solar-powered Kryptonian.

Superman was sure that Amanda had already figured out that there was nothing 'divine' about them when she managed to capture one to experiment on. There was simply nothing Superman could do to prevent it. Had he not been fighting Helspont back then, he could've helped him. Now, they had to do this legally.

Well, mostly legally.

It was hypocritical, but some things just had to be done in secrecy. Batman's squadron of youngsters was currently infiltrating Belle Reve to secure the Saiyan and while they're at it, every other innocent meta and alien that is being contained there. If the world found out, the League would be put under even higher scrutiny, but it was a necessary step to take to ensure Earth's survival.

Because as noble the two Saiyans had sounded initially, one of them seemed far from it.

Superman could hardly believe it when Hal Jordan showed him the hacked footage he acquired from one of the yellow rings of one of the Sinestro Corps members. It showed a battle of a massive yellow alien warlord fighting one of the Saiyan warriors. In reality, it wasn't even a battle. It was a one-sided onslaught.

Superman knew the warlord himself. His name was Mongul, the supreme monarch of a planetary-sized warship known as 'Warworld'. He wielded a Yellow Lantern Ring that was not under Sinestro's authority; they had been at odds for as long he could remember. Superman once fought the behemoth, and if not for the help of some of the League's own powerhouses, he would've been defeated as well.

Seems like the Saiyan did not need any help at all.

In the aftermath of the battle, Mongul had lost both his legs and his left arm, while the Saiyan sustained no injury whatsoever. Surprisingly, he had left the humbled monarch alive and Warworld mostly intact, before disappearing into the vastness of space. Currently, the massive warship is being run by the tyrant's son, while he's being cared for by his private doctors, desperately trying to stay alive. The reason why one of the Saiyans even decided to venture into the heart of a place as dangerous as Warworld was still being researched by the Corps, but Hal and Superman generally had an idea as to why.

And it was something Diana had been searching for months.

Mongul's Warworld was full of advanced weaponry and artefacts, be it physical or magical in nature. The fact that he might've had one of those golden glowing spheres was plausible. Bruce had asked one of his old 'allies' to research the golden glowing orb when Diana had brought it to the watchtower, and she found out that the ball acted as some sort of conduit and was practically useless without others of its kind. This could only mean one thing.

Sooner rather than later, the Saiyans would come back here, just like five years ago.

As much as he hated to say it, for he was grateful for their help in the past, the Saiyans were too much of an enigma to truly trust. Besides that, Mongul's humiliation served as a fiery omen of a potential fate of the Earth and its inhabitants when they find out their kin was being experimented on while they were initially searching for that golden sphere. Nothing that Superman knew of could stop their onslaught, not even the combined might of Earth's heroes.

Superman wasn't naïve; legally trying to convince the government to free the Saiyan would take far too long. It was simply not worth the risk. He still did not like it, but it simply had to be done.

While the Man of Steel kept staring at the warm and inviting sun with those thoughts lingering in his mind, his earpiece suddenly started to beep.

" _Superman, this is Batman calling in. The 'meeting' is starting shortly."_ The stoic voice of his best friend echoed throughout the com. Superman sighed deeply, before replying.

"I'm coming, give me a few seconds."

With hardly a second to spare, Superman started to descend. With an incredible display of speed, he landed quickly, yet gracefully on the pavement just in front of the United States Capitol. His heart filled up with slight wonder upon seeing the massive, white, neoclassical building. Just like when he was a child and went on a school trip there.

All around him, he heard people chanting his name. Some even insulted him, but when he looked at their direction, they quickly looked away. Sometimes, Superman truly felt like an outcast. As much as he tried to remain by his human values, things like this always reminded him that he was just an alien trying to be different.

As Superman shook his head at his dreary thoughts and walked up the steps towards the Capitol, he was greeted by something that had become all too familiar when these two were together.

"I'm sorry Steve, but what we had… it is not working anymore." A beautiful woman wearing a tiara stated to a broad man. Crystal clear blue eyes looked on rather difficultly as she brushed her raven hair with her hand. She was wearing a red, sleeveless breastplate outlined with silver, and a blue leotard. Her legs were almost fully exposed, with the exception of knee high steel boots. On her belt, she had a sword sheathed and a golden lasso. She was Diana of Themyscira, better known as Wonder Woman to the outside world.

"Diana…" The man she was talking to replied with downcast eyes. He was wearing a black military suit, with lots of different medals of service embedded on his chest. He too, brushed his hair, which was colored a light blond. His eyes were the same color as Diana, a vibrant blue.

When they noticed Superman approach, the two immediately forced a reassuring smile towards him.

"Ah Kal, good of you to come." Diana replied as she gave him a quick hug.

"I'm heading inside the Capitol, I'll see you both soon." The Amazon immediately stated as she walked away. Superman quickly turned back towards the person known as Steve, who sighed heavily.

"I don't know what to do, Superman. I-I can't seem to get over her, but every advance I make falls on deaf ears. She just wants to be good friends, but I don't know if I can do that."

Superman could only sympathize with that. Love was just… difficult. He himself didn't even know what his relationship with Lois was. She was completely fangirling over 'Superman', yet was the best friend of 'Clark Kent'. He had been desiring a relationship with her, but how would she react if she realized that her 'crush' and 'best friend' were the same person?

"I can't help you with that, Mr. Trevor. I have some problems of my own as well. I can talk to Diana about it, if you wish, but her heart hasn't been in the right place for a long time." Superman answered as he and Steve slowly walked towards the Capitol building.

"What do you mean? Wait, is she still thinking about…" Steve began, to which Clark nodded.

"Their disappearance does not sit well with her, and ever since she heard of A.R.G.U.S. holding one of their species in captivity, she's been hell-bent on getting him out. Whatever her feelings are, only she knows. She's always been the most mysterious of us, despite valuing honesty and the truth. Hmm, maybe that's how it is." Superman ended with a thought.

"What are you implying?" Steve questioned as he and Clark turned around upon suddenly hearing many of the guards readying their weapons. Mentally Clark sweatdropped at the display in the distance.

"Maybe she doesn't know what to feel herself, and is trying to find out. You go ahead and talk to the rest of the League, I'll deal with this." Superman ended as he rushed towards the scene.

"Let me go right now, I have every right to be here!" A woman in a tight, purple pencil skirt and matching blouse growled as she was being restrained by two heavily-armored guards.

"Gentlemen, I'll take it from here." Superman ushered in kindly as the guards turned to the Man of Steel.

"Is she speaking the truth, Superman?" One of them asked, to which Lois snorted.

"Yes, miss Lane is speaking true. She's given special permission to attend the meeting. Thank you for guiding her towards me." Clark stated with his signature smile, to which the two guards nodded. Quickly, Superman dragged Lois towards the Capitol, while also starting to speak.

"Lois, if you wanted to come, why didn't you just ask me to bring you here? Saved you the hassle of forcing yourself through the massive crowd." Superman sighed as Lois momentarily stopped to place her hands on her hips, an angry frown on her beautiful face.

"I tried to call my friend Clark, because he had the invite with him that ensured us access towards the Capitol. The bastard never answered his phone…" Lois growled. Superman almost gulped, but remembered to stay in character.

"Hmm, let me speak to your friend later." Superman stated with a forced smile.

"You better, because his lateness annoys me to no end! Maybe you can talk some sense into him, you at least, arrive just in time." Lois smiled admirably.

"Yeah…" Superman chuckled sheepishly as the two appeared before a handsome man who was as tall as Superman.

"Good day, Miss Lane." The man greeted as his blue eyes stared deeply into the reporter's.

"Good day to you too, Mister Wayne." Lois replied, not being swayed in the slightest. She knew damn well that this man, with his sleek black hair and vibrant blue eyes was known for his womanizing charms. Instead of talking to the man, she quickly took notes of her surroundings and the many different people that were led into the Capitol.

"Ah Lois, would it be all right if I talk to mister Wayne in private?" Superman asked as he shook the man's hand.

"Don't leave me waiting for too long, boys." Metropolis' most famous reporter replied as she headed inside on her own, with Superman and Mister Wayne slowly following behind her, not keeping up with her pace. The two watched as Lois eventually started to interview a few of the people here, before finally starting their conversation.

"We have a problem, Kal." Bruce whispered as the two headed into one of the quiet corridors to talk.

"Waller's not there yet?" Superman asked as Bruce shook his head.

"Your children are bickering more than saving the innocent metas and aliens at Belle Reve?" Superman then asked, to which Bruce sighed.

"Don't remind me, but no. All is going fine, as of now. The problem lies here." Bruce stated as he showed Superman camera footage of the meeting chamber on his phone. Someone immediately stuck out. He was sitting at the front, next to Amanda Waller and the alien known as Wraith.

"What is Lex Luthor doing here?!" Superman hissed as the two headed out of the corridor to head towards the meeting.

"I fear that tempers are going to rise with him sitting there. Waller's got guts for getting him out of prison just for this moment." Bruce growled as the two finally arrived in front of the massive door where the stage was set.

Superman still remembered vividly how Lex manipulated things to gain favour from Brainiac, just before the time Darkseid attacked. He has been in prison for his treachery ever since, but it seems Waller managed to get him out just for this occasion. Superman's odds of a successful plea to shut down Belle Reve's laboratory were practically non-existent now, so now the biggest responsibility fell on Batman.

"Bruce, you do realize that if this goes wrong, they will hold you as the scapegoat?" Superman finally asked as the two watched Lois Lane approach.

"I know." Batman simply replied as they shook each other's hands to pretend they did not know each other well.

"Are you done?" Lois asked as she arrived next to the two, her notebook already full of theories, thoughts and general notes.

"Let's get inside." Superman replied as he opened the door of the chamber. Immediately uncountable eyes turned towards the three across the entire senate chamber. Superman could easily pick out the relieved smiles of his Justice League colleagues. Aquaman was with his red-haired wife Mera. The Flash was accompanied one of Central City's most prominent reporters: a brunette named Iris West. Green Lantern had one of his human colleagues from the corps with him, an Afro-American named John Stewart, who was also an architect and a retired soldier. Even Cyborg was here, together with his father.

Superman's gaze then shifted towards the rest of the crowd. He could pick out wealthy businessmen like Oliver Queen (who was actually Green Arrow), Michael Holt and even someone as notorious as Oswald Cobblepot. Many United Nations officials were here as well, as well as highly placed military officials such as General Sam Lane; to Clark usually known as Lois' father who disliked his 'Superman' persona greatly. Before long, however, his eyes got fixated on the trio of people who were already sitting at the defendant side of the room.

As Superman headed towards the front to take his seat at the complainant side, where Diana and Steve were already sitting, he kept his gaze firmly plastered on a smirking Lex Luthor. The bald man was still in his prison suit, with cuffs on and under heavy security, but that did not make him any less dangerous. Then, the Man of Steel's gaze momentarily shifted towards the being known as Wraith. In a way, Superman could certainly understand why he would be mistaken for Darkseid's son. The fury inside the alien's gaze was almost the same, but the color of his skin was just slightly odd. Darkseid didn't have orange colored energy in the form of a star on his chest either.

When Superman turned to Amanda Waller, he was surprised to see her looking rather nervous. She usually looked cold and calculating. Did she know that Batman's sidekicks were infiltrating her Base of Operations? Another thing that he found strange was the fact that Amanda looked surprisingly fit. The last time he saw her in person, she was close to morbid obesity. It was almost as if she looked and acted like a completely different person.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats."

Superman immediately looked in front of him to see the president of the United States sitting on the spot which the senate chairman usually took. This man, unlike his predecessor, was a more progressive person when it came to the U.S. and its affairs both domestic and international. He was accompanied by his vice president and secretary of defence. He complied with the man's request, and proceeded to sit between Steve and Diana, the former looking nervous while the rather kept her fierce gaze directed at Wraith.

"Why is Lex Luthor here?" Steve hissed as Superman momentarily looked behind him to see Bruce Wayne playing with his phone at the back of the room, probably directing orders at his 'children'.

"Amanda probably bought him out for a day, just for this occasion." Superman then replied, "Logically, because most people are bound to lose a confrontation of wits with him."

"Then why's Batman not here?" Steve asked urgently as he scratched his head.

"Don't worry, Steve. Batman's here, just not in the way you expect him to be. Besides, we don't need him to speak. I'm sure that we can sort this out ourselves." Diana answered confidently.

"Indeed. I've dealt with Luthor before. I probably know him better than anyone." Superman ended as he turned his gaze at the president, who slammed his wooden hammer on his desk table and motioned everyone to focus on him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this… unique occasion. This day will be the most important one in the history of not only the United States of America, but the whole world as well. It is up to both parties to set aside their differences to ensure a brighter future to us all, one where barriers between humans, metahumans and aliens do not exist." The President stated as he addressed everyone inside the room. Everyone remained quiet as the president did his speech, except for one. It was merely a snort, but that made the entire room tense up.

"Mr. Luthor, is there anything that you would like to share with us before we begin?" The President asked gravely, while Luthor waved his hand rather dismissively at him.

"Oh, just that the idea of a nation where super-powered individuals who destroy property, works of wonder and even lives on a whim can coexist with general humans is utter farce. But please, do continue." Lex Luthor answered with a yawn as many accusatory glances were subsequently directed at him.

"Thank you for your optimism, Mr. Luthor. It seems that your days in prison has given you a much brighter outlook on life." The president replied with a bemused tone. Superman smiled slightly at that. At least the president seemed genuine at trying to end this predicament peacefully.

"Now, Superman, I believe you have something to share about our golden saviours from five years ago, something that you weren't ready to share until now." The president ended steadfastly as he motioned towards Superman to stand up.

"Well, here we go…" Steve muttered as Superman began to speak up…

* * *

 _~Belle Reve, Louisiana~_

While the entire world held its breath as the most powerful man on the planet opened up about the League's biggest held secret, an experienced individual in the arts of stealth was quietly navigating through the air vents of a certain underground facility. The lawsuit that attracted the most powerful and influential beings on the planet was the perfect distraction, one that would give this man and his co-workers just enough time to prevent hypothetical disaster. The mission he was assigned to was arguably the most important one in the history of human life. If this failed, it could be the end of this planet as well.

Although this person, clad in a black bodysuit containing a symbol of a blue bird on his chest, a blue face mask, and an utility belt containing various different gadgets, was completely focused on the mission and understanding of the potential threat, most of his colleagues were less so.

" _Guys, look at your bat-watches! Daddy's messaged us!"_

" _One more ridiculing sentence and I'll cut off your tongue, Todd."_

" _Take that back you meanie, or I'll tell daddy!"_

" _TODD! I'll fucking-"_

" _Guys, stop fighting, we need you focused."_

"Red Robin's right. Red Hood, stop patronizing, and Robin, watch your language."

" _Ugh, guys! Sort this out later and focus on the mission!"_

Nightwing, more commonly known as Richard 'Dick' Grayson, sighed as a growl from Barbara, a.k.a. Batgirl came through the com. Usually he was the one who made the annoying jokes during tense situations, but the insidiousness of this mission was far too important to ignore.

Looking at his 'bat-watch', Nightwing quickly read the message his mentor gave him.

"Well, I guess the importance of our mission just spiked, guys. How did Waller manage to free Lex Luthor?"

" _American bureaucracy at its finest."_ Batgirl replied dejectedly.

" _Can't we just put a bullet through that guy's head?"_

" _For once I agree with the black sheep."_

" _Let's kill your grandfather too while we're at it."_

" _That's it Todd, I will slam every single tooth out of your revolting mouth with a crowbar after this is over!"_

" _Not this again…"_ Dick could hear Red Robin, or Tim Drake, sigh as Red Hood and Robin were at it again for the umpteenth time.

"Guys, if you don't focus now, I'll spoil the next Game of Thrones episode." Dick replied towards everyone. Immediately he heard the desired response.

" _That's low, Dick."_ Red Hood growled, also known as Jason Todd.

" _You will not, Grayson. Counter-measures will be applied if you-"_

" _Everyone, shut up and focus!"_

Dick winced as Batgirl's screech echoed through his earpiece. Still, it was a good thing because everyone remained quiet as of now. Dick quickly used the time to navigate through the dark vents. It was a tight fit, but as a gymnast this felt more or less the same as walking through a two-meter tall door.

" _Nightwing, where are you now?"_ Batgirl asked as Nightwing opened his holographic map.

"Close to the prison cells it seems. My biorhythmic scanners don't show any guards in here at all. Thought this place was going to be protected better than this." Dick answered as he peaked through one of the openings. The halls were eerily white, just like those secret laboratories you usually see in movies about extra-terrestrials.

" _Most of A.R.G.U.S.'s security is currently at the Capitol. Still see a few droids here and there, though, so be careful. I've locked on to your signal, so I can open any doors and disable any cameras and traps while you're on your way."_ Barbara replied as Dick slipped through one of the openings and scanned the hall for any stray guards. When he realized that the coast was clear, he jumped towards the floor. Like a cat, he landed gracefully and quietly on his four limbs and quickly scanned the doors for sudden activity. Nightwing was glad to have someone as talented and amazing as Barbara watching his back through the security systems. She and Tim managed to hack through the advanced security protocols of this underground facility in less than 30 minutes, which was absolutely insane. Unfortunately, Belle Reve's security system was constantly being overwritten and rebooted by its AI, forcing Tim and Barbara to remain at the Batcave to prevent countermeasures from the hacked system. They didn't like the lack of fieldwork, but it was a necessary burden.

As Nightwing moved through the white halls, he eventually picked up something peculiar. In front of him stood a massive titanium door, and his scanner told him of strange activity.

"There's something behind this door. Can you open it?" Nightwing asked quietly as he grabbed one of his escrima sticks, just in case.

" _Just a minute, had to disable a few androids due to Jason and Damian not being careful enough. Their constant bickering has almost compromised the mission!"_ Barbara answered through the com with a growl.

As the titanium door slid open, Nightwing immediately took in the rows upon rows of specialized prison cells, containing various alien species and metahumans. There was one particular prison that gained his immediate attention, however.

It was only a small cell, containing an orange-skinned alien, wrapped in a tight metal incubator. It seemed to be female, considering the sizable bust and wide hips. Her hair was long and wavy, colored a darker orange that turned a fiery red towards the tip. Her eyes were lime-green in coloration, but looked so distant. She didn't seem to be fully conscious. When he looked into those eyes, something inside his brain clicked.

"Kori…" He muttered in disbelief. This alien… for some reason, vague memories started to flourish inside his mind, but he couldn't place it. He could remember her warm and inviting personality, her hot and sultry lips licking and nibbling at his exposed body, her fiery heart that burned with love… but at the same time, this woman felt as much as a stranger to him as all the other aliens and metas floating in their tubes.

" _Kori?"_

Dick froze up when Batgirl's voice rung in his ears. Did he just say that out loud?

"A-a friend, she was a friend of mine, but she suddenly disappeared some time ago. I now know where she's been all this time." Dick answered as he kept his gaze on the dormant alien.

" _I'm sorry Dick, but you need to secure the Saiyan first. I know it's hard for you…"_

"I know Babs, I know." Nightwing answered as he shut down his com again. After a few minutes of silence, he could hear footsteps heading his way. His scanner immediately told him that it was someone he knew, so he remained at ease.

"Fuck, what did they do to you, Kori?" Sounded the heavy voice of Jason through his mask as he walked up to Dick, his eyes focussing completely on the orange-skinned alien.

Nightwing could clearly 'see' the grimace coming from his adopted brother, despite him wearing his signature crimson facemask. His attire consisted of his usual gear; a black suit with Kevlar plating containing a red bat symbol, and a leather jacket. Two pistols hung on his utility belt, containing only rubber bullets. Nightwing knew Red Hood didn't like that, but those were Batman's rules if he wanted to partake in this mission.

"You know her?" Dick asked curiously. Jason put off his mask to eye his adopted brother with an angry glint in his eyes.

"Yeah, she saved my life a few years back. Roy and I have been hanging out with her for some time, but that stopped ever so suddenly. We thought she went back to the stars, but that couldn't be further from the truth." Jason growled as he was quickly losing his cool.

"Fuck this, Dick! Why do we always have to 'abide' by the rules?! They tortured her, experimented on her! Why can't we just put a bullet through Waller's head and be done with it?!"

Dick quickly shook his head as Jason angrily slammed his fist against the glass.

"That's not going to deliver the justice we seek, Jay, and it will only complicate this already delicate matter. I think helping Kori through this would be the best course of action, and far more rewarding as well. Come on, let's find Damian."

The two continued to venture through the eerily white halls, bypassing numerous other dormant prisoners. Nightwing could recognize most of them from the files he read, but it seemed that A.R.G.U.S. had so many more prisoners that didn't have biological profiles.

Eventually, another set of titanium doors blocked their path. Clearly he could hear fighting coming from behind it, so he immediately grabbed his escrima sticks, while Jason pulled his pistols from his belt.

"There's someone out there behind these doors, Batgirl. Can you open them?" Nightwing asked quickly as he readied himself.

Before he knew it, the titanium doors slid open, revealing a familiar person standing proudly on top of a broken android.

"As always, the best child has to do all the dirty work." Robin stated smugly as he dusted the small scraps of metal from his colourful red, green, yellow and black suit.

"Not everything's a game, Robin. We're in this together." Dick replied as he stepped over the other various droids and scanned the room. Lots of experimental setups stood haphazardly all around the room, as well as a big supercomputer in one of the corners. Dick was rather certain that this was the laboratory.

"Can't fault a squirt for not knowing. I mean, he's still only a toddler."

"Funny, because as far as I know, I wasn't the one with temper tantrums regarding his momma, which eventually resulted into an unfortunate death."

Nightwing almost smacked his head in frustration when he heard Red Hood and Robin bickering again. In response, he clicked on his com and started to speak.

"Tim, Babs, they're at it again."

No words needed to be said again, because before he knew it the two skilled vigilantes fell to the ground, clutching their ear in pain.

"Alright, alright! I'll stop!"

"Stop this heinous act right now, Gordon!"

Nightwing could not help but laugh as Red Hood and Robin writhed on the ground. Every time they had a mission together, they would argue and bicker with each other. Maybe knowing that Barbara could just bombard them with high-frequency sound waves would shut them up for some time.

"Fucking hell, that hurt…" Jason moaned as he brushed the small bits of dust from his leather jacket and black Kevlar suit rather irately.

"This punishment is certainly not worth the effort to slid Todd's throat…" Damian muttered in his colourful red, green, yellow and black suit.

"You guys had it coming, you know." Nightwing answered smugly, to which Damian snorted.

"This wouldn't have happened if Todd remembered my superiority over the likes of you all." The young vigilante growled as he begrudgingly made various samples of whatever biological material he could find around the room.

" _Serves you right. Now, focus on the mission. Nightwing, can you give us a sitrep? What do you see?"_ Both Barbara and Tim asked simultaneously.

"Lots of different experimental setups and notebooks. I can see a highly advanced spectrograph and schematics of some sort of android they're building. No sign of the Saiyan yet, though." Nightwing replied as he headed towards Jason, who was busy admiring a broadsword.

" _Alright, we'll try to hack through the main computer's software. Keep us updated when you find something."_ Barbara replied as Nightwing arrived at Jason's side.

"This is the alien's sword, right?" Red Hood asked as his gloves glided over the blade's ridge.

"Looks like it. Kind of surprises me that an alien uses a broadsword that looks similar to the ones you have on Earth."

"Not only that, look at the tip of the blade. It is grinded into a diamond shape and the guard has a habaki, which the European broadswords don't have." Damian answered as he arrived next to the two. It kept surprising Nightwing how knowledgeable he was for a ten year old.

"Why the hell does an alien as powerful as he need a sword at all? I mean, it's kinda redundant if you can just blow shit up." Jason mused as he decided to grab the sword and started swinging with it.

"Red Hood! Be careful with that!" Both Dick and Damian hissed.

"What? It's not like I'm gonna break it. I'm trained with blades too you know." Jason answered dismissively as he held his two adopted brothers at bay by pretending to be an expert swordsman.

"Hmm, the sword's heavier than I expected it to be though. The metal might not even be from Earth-huh?"

Dick almost tried to pry the blade away from Jason, before his biorhythmic scanners picked up strange signals. Immediately after, his com started to beep.

" _Nightwing, you and the rest need to scatter now! We've found sudden activity from behind the titanium door you just went through. Waller knows you're there."_ Red Robin hissed to the com. Dick chuckled grimly at that.

"I just realized that… We've got the Suicide Squad on our hands now." Dick answered grimly as he watched the huge titanium doors opening, revealing a foursome of extremely dangerous criminals.

"Ah, the Bat-brats! Mah favourite males besides Mistah J and Bat-daddy! I've missed y'all!"

The trio of vigilantes immediately tensed up as Harley Quinn's shill cackle echoed throughout the laboratory, while puffing her pearly-white cheeks up as she shed a tear of pseudo-happiness. She was accompanied by a man in a skin-tight armored suit that was gray and red in coloration, with a helmet containing a crimson visor. Dick knew that man as Deadshot, one of Batman's recurring foes. He had faced this man before as well, and knew that his boasts about being the best marksman on the planet were not without sufficient bite.

But those two felt like small fry compared to the behemoths who stood behind them. One was a giant of a man with a ginger mane by the name of Mammoth, while the other one was a monstrous anthropomorphic hammerhead known as King Shark. Dick wasn't sure whether he could win this one, especially since they were outnumbered.

"Well, the feeling's not exactly mutual. I'd rather cleave you in half with this…" Jason growled dangerously, while clutching the broadsword even tighter in his hand. Damian seemed to be on the same page as Jason, because he grabbed a rather sharp batarang from his pocket that reminded Dick more of a shuriken than a boomerang. He wasn't going to complain now though, because the odds were stacked against them.

"Aww, ya hurt me! What would Mistah J say about that? Something about Robins and crowbars, probably…" Harley Quinn asked, feigning a whimper. Dick quickly placed a reassuring hand on his brother, knowing full well the torment he was going through.

"Why doesn't it surprise me that Waller knew we were coming?" Dick sighed as he grabbed his escrima sticks.

"'If you want to beat the Bat, think like the Bat', is what she said to us. Only he would send his children to do something as stupid as infiltrating Belle Reve at a time like this. I somehow feel sorry for you that he's not here himself to see you die." Deadshot replied, while pointing his wrist-gun at Dick.

"Do not be fooled by your superior numbers, Deadshot. We've bested you lot before, we can easily do it again. Brainless muscle isn't going to make things any different for us." Robin ended as he was almost ready to throw his batarang at them, but something stopped him.

"What in the demon's name…" The youth gasped, trying to keep himself balanced as the ground started to rumble.

"Damn it, I don't like where this is going…" Deadshot growled as he turned towards the titanium on the other side of the room.

"How to explain this to Batman…" Dick chuckled nervously as two bald scientists ran out of the door, where a golden shimmer started to turn brighter and brighter…

* * *

 _~United States Capitol, Washington D.C.~_

The entire room turned eerily quiet when Superman ended his speech. Nobody dared to make a comment, or utter a whisper, even. There was one man however, who broke the ice with a haughty chuckle.

"Oh, this is rich! I can hardly believe the words coming out of your mouth! Allow me to sum up your sentimental oration, 'Man of Steel', because I believe that everyone deserves to know what you're truly implying." Lex Luthor began as he dared to stand up. Even though he was still in his prison jumpsuit and wearing handcuffs, nobody underestimated the danger this man was, especially not Superman.

"For five long, arduous years, you and your Justice League members have been withholding information of the highest importance regarding the safety of the Earth, by allowing the lie of these 'Saiyans' being God's angels of vengeance to spread, while knowing that they were never here to serve as our noble protectors?"

Superman mentally winced at the accusatory looks he was given. It infuriated him how Luthor's words could cut so deep and how powerless he currently was to it.

"And now you're also claiming, for the very first time I might add, that you are not sure whether you're able to protect this planet whenever one of them or someone just as powerful decides to invade it?" Luthor added with a condescending glint in his eye. Clark could only watch in silence as Amanda Waller could not contain her excitement.

"And yet you continue to advocate for them, knowing full well the extent of their destructive habits? You're one hypocritical fool, aren't you? You want A.R.G.U.S. to open up on its internal affairs, while you keep this kind of information hidden from the world as well! What else are you hiding, Superman?!" Alexander Luthor barked, his eyes twinkling as his focus was completely set on Kal-El.

"Let me remind you of something that should've been emblazed into your brain ever since you first started to surface as humanity's 'hero'," Luthor growled as he walked towards Superman and stood head to head, a never ending smirk on his face.

"You're not humanity's tomorrow, you're its doom! When have we ever witnessed a better tomorrow since you and those other self-proclaimed 'heroes' showed up and disrupted the status quo? Homicides have tripled globally, far more destructive terroristic acts have been committed across the globe by metas and aliens that used your first act as an incentive to take matters into their own hands, and the world has been enduring a second Cold War ever since the Justice League had been formed! Did you know how many countries disagreed with the formation of your superhero groupie? Most of the hotspot countries such as Qurac, Markovia, Russia and Kahndaq have openly shown their disapproval of such an act, seeing it as a threat coming from American soil! They're certainly not wrong! They do not want you there, yet you run rampant on their grounds without their permission, believing to be higher than their laws and constitution!" Luthor accused as he pricked his finger right on Superman's 'S' symbol.

"And you know what the sad thing is? The heroes we needed to deal with the vermin, have only caused them to grow. A lot of the people's taxes even go to you and your cause, but the results of your endeavours are even less than disappointing. What have you done in the five years that you were at power, other than letting criminals loose on the world that you were supposed to deal with? What happened with lunatics such as 'The Joker', or 'The Parasite'? You 'repel' their crimes by putting them in prison, but how many times have they escaped? Your actions only fuel a never ending cycle of containment and freedom, with innocent lives as its fuel. At least Miss Waller's A.R.G.U.S. division literally 'deals' with them, by making those inmates work for their freedom, and to make sure that they can't take another innocent life." Luthor ended with a hint of superiority in his voice, before heading back to his seat. This gave Waller the incentive to speak up.

"Clearly, Mr. President, The Justice League is not up to the task of making this world safer. I think it is fair to suggest to disband them for the time being, and let A.R.G.U.S. take over these dangerous operations-"

Before Waller could end her sentence, the most foreign individual in this building spoke up with a gaze that wasn't frequently seen on her beautiful face.

"Is that how the world mostly sees us? Are we truly considered humanity's doom? Do we incite the worst in you? Are we really the monsters you claim to be, just because we do not always act in ways that are profitable to your own agenda?" The Woman of Wonder spoke, her voice brimming with various wavelengths of emotion. She narrowed her eyes when Luthor leaned back in his seat, ridiculing her with merely an uninterested gaze.

"Do you desire proof, Diana of Themyscira? Look at the protests all around the world. The world is fed up with the lack of improvements, and rightfully so. The Justice League is an utter joke." Luthor answered with a smirk. Some people dared to laugh quietly at that, but Diana wasn't someone who could lose her conviction so easily.

"When I was a girl, I often asked my mother about how the outside world looked like, and what kind of people lived there. Being as old as she was, I was certain that she was full of stories of wonder. I desperately wanted to hear stories of true love, enduring hope, boundless courage, righteous justice and most important of all: peace…" Diana began. She could clearly hear the hushed whispers, or snickers from the people around her, but she continued on.

"Many times I've asked her why Themyscira, my home, was surrounded by a magical barrier, separated from the outside world. Why did my sisters want to split themselves from what they called 'Man's World'? A name they spat with more potent venom than even the Hydra's fangs could concoct. She always answered me with a story from one of the various cultures of the outside world that are and had once been. I not only heard of stories of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans, but also from civilizations who lived incredibly far away from my home, such as Mayans, Incas and Aztecs. I've often wondered why she always answered that way, with a story that felt so far from the truth I sought. There was one time where it angered me so much that I demanded an explanation. She told me that I was missing the underlying themes."

Diana looked at everyone in the room, her eyes sparing no one from her gaze, before she turned back to Luthor.

"Do you know what her answer was, Mister Luthor? Do you know what its recurring themes were?"

"Enlighten me, please?" Luthor enquired with snide. Diana could only shake her head at that.

"Human cruelty and greed, Mister Luthor. There was not a single civilization that could live in peace with each other. Wars, needless violence and overall cruelty were the underlying terms of a societies that pretended to strive for peace. The United States, in all its glory, is founded by principals of cruelty. Slaves, wars, weapons of mass destruction… You, in all your narcissistic glory, are a prime example of the heartless and greedy nature of men." Diana stated with clear disappointment in her face.

"How dare y-" Luthor began as he stood up, but Diana's commanding bellow thoroughly overshadowed Luthor's own charismatic voice.

"You are no better than the people you insult and condemn, Luthor. I daresay, you're even worse! You sold us to an alien overlord, used unwilling subjects to experiment your latest 'medicine' on and you sold numerous weapons towards nations such as Qurac! Not to mention the constant assaults you committed on someone as kind and wonderful as Superman, just because he tries to make a difference. Yet, you dare blame us on the violence that has been happening all over the world, because you believe we're not doing our jobs correctly? Because we do not kill needlessly, or worse, experiment on criminals or even innocent people? Because we strive for peace, instead of more violence? Because we do not act as judge, jury and executioner on your terms? As an Amazon, I enjoy fighting, but I will not use my powers and skills to fuel the desires of evil men and women who tolerate this true injustice, just because their hearts are too afraid to trust in a united planet, and rather desire absolute power! Unlike you, I want to empathize with someone's actions. It might not condone their crimes, but everyone deserves a second chance in my eyes." Diana ended steadfastly as she started to address the entire crowd.

"The Saiyans, although as mysterious and insidious as the dark waters of the river Styx, did not come here to claim this planet, as Waller tried to spread. They were here, because a true monster destroyed their homes, murdered their families and destroyed their planet! Instead of fighting for vengeance, however, they decided that protecting this planet was more important to them. A planet which was entirely unfamiliar to them. A selfless act, one I will always hold dearly into my heart."

Diana closed her eyes for a moment, while placing her hand on her heart, before opening her eyes again.

"Are we truly that cold to deny them the joy and hope they desperately need by enslaving one of their own kin, and using him selfishly as a soldier?" Diana stated as her eyes hardened towards Waller.

"Say it, I dare you! We've seen the evidence, so there's no point in hiding it. Those experimentations, they were conducted because you intend to replace us."

It was at this moment that the crowd started whisper loudly with each other. It had been full on the internet the past month when the first pieces of evidence were leaked by Batman and Cyborg about A.R.G.U.S.'s secret asset operations, but now the rumours were truly solidified.

In response towards the accusation, the being known as Wraith stood up, his body slowly starting to glow. Many of the League members stood up, to which many of the A.R.G.U.S. guards under Waller's authority responded by readying their weapons as well. Diana however, merely sighed as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I believe you've just solidified my point." She stated matter of factly, while she gave Wraith an unimpressed look.

Before things could truly get out of hand, someone opened his commanding voice.

"Stop this now, instantly!" Steve Trevor roared, while standing up himself, before eyeing the president with a determined look on his face.

"Mr. President, may I ask my colleague some questions?" He asked as politely as possible, while turning towards the woman who had always been a thorn in his side at A.R.G.U.S.

"You may, Mister Trevor." The president agreed as he too focused completely on a sweating Waller.

Wasting no time, Steve immediately addressed Amanda.

"Is this true, Amanda? And if so, why was this kept hidden from me? As A.R.G.U.S.'s commanding officer and liaison to the Justice League, I had the right to know! What have you been hiding under Belle Reve!" The old Colonel asked harshly. Waller could only sigh, probably trying her hardest to find the proper words. Superman found it curious that she was getting more nervous by the second, despite her being usually calm and composed.

"Waller, speak now. What in God's name have you been scheming?!" The president inquired as well, fed up by Waller's silence.

"We've been trying to 'encourage' metahumans and extra-terrestrials to protect us from extinction level threats, in exchange of helping them settle down here. We do not want a second Battle of Metropolis after all… And we believed that the League would appreciate our help in making the world safer." Waller eventually answered. One man, clad in a green light started to shine rather brightly as he roared in outrage, while walking towards the front.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Are you really that much of a coward to confess that you're a heartless piece of shit? 'Encourage', my green ass! I've seen the evidence, Waller. You don't help them, you experiment on them, you torture them!" The Green Lantern, towards his colleagues also known as Hal Jordan, stampeded towards the defendant's table and clearly made his presence known by generating a giant green middle finger. Wraith already started to move slowly out of his seat again, but Hal Jordan was not deterred and intimidated in the slightest.

"A.R.G.U.S. is not lying, Lantern. Take Wraith as an example. I'm sure he's grateful to assist in a good cause. But alas, someone as single-minded and pig-headed as you would never understand. You go and play space cop, handing out fines and whatnot. Let the realists and superior-minded people do the important work." Lex Luthor answered casually. It baffled Superman, and many of the League, at how callous Luthor was in his dismissal of freedom and compassion.

"Really? That's rich, coming from a guy wearing a prison onesie! For someone so confident in his mental capabilities, you are incredibly ignorant of the size of the hole A.R.G.U.S. has dug itself in. Do you even realize what will happen if one of the Saiyans from five years ago finds out that their kin is being imprisoned, while initially thinking that they were the last ones alive?"

"Do you claim me for a fool, Lantern? Of course we know what will happen. Unfortunately for these Demon Angels, Batman isn't the only one with the necessary contingency plans." Luthor answered coolly.

"Wraith can protect us." Waller stated with a nervous sweat. Her behaviour was slowly becoming more odd in Superman's eyes. When he listened in more closely, he could hear a faint beep coming from her watch.

"A wounded, tired individual, maybe, but I've seen how destructive one at full power can be. You heard what Superman stated earlier. We cannot defeat them. Trust me, I would be the last one to accept that if I could see another outcome. This planet's gone for if you do not let him go now." Hal Jordan ended as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Is this true, Superman?" the president eventually asked, to which Superman shook his head.

"We don't know, at least not fully. But Green Lantern is right. Just because we are not certain, it is still not right to keep him, and every other innocent meta and alien captive. I'm optimistic that we can talk this out if-"

Superman's keen senses immediately alerted him of a high pitched sound wave that only he and Wraith could seem to hear. While Wraith looked around in confusion, Kal-El sighed with resignation. It was an alert that was only used when the Watchtower intercepted a potential threat from outer space…

"Superman, what's wrong?" Steve Trevor asked worriedly. Clark eyed him for a small moment in response, before turning to towards a sweating Waller. Lex Luthor seemed to chuckle knowingly, while Wraith stood up.

"Waller, what's happening?" Kal-El demanded as he headed towards Waller rather urgently. Again, various weapons were being readied by the many different people across the room.

"Miss Waller, what are you hiding?! Speak up, now!" the president growled, not in the least threatened by the many powerhouses sitting across the senate chamber.

"S-something just entered the Earth's thermosphere, Mr. President." Waller answered shakily.

"I'll deal with it, Waller." Wraith immediately stated as he launched himself in the air, right through the roof of the Capitol.

"Waller, bring your soldier back right now! I warn you, if he does not come back instantly, I will make sure A.R.G.U.S. pays dearly!" The president roared in outrage, but nobody was able to directly answer when the entire Capitol roof exploded when something was slammed into its exterior.

Superman used his super speed to quickly catch the president from being engulfed by debris, while the Flash rescued the rest of the people inside who did not have superpowers.

"Blast it, we need to act fast!" Aquaman growled as he headed towards Superman, his wife Mera following close behind. Many of the other League members turned towards Superman as well, who only had eyes for the blue-skinned alien who struggled to get upright, before heading back into the skies, disappearing in a flash of red and blue.

"They're back…" Diana muttered quietly.

"At the worst possible time, yes. Everyone, we need to head to Belle Reve this instant."

The six Justice League members quickly turned around to see Batman, all geared up, addressing them.

"Because the asset has woken up as well." Batman ended as the League and their allies turned towards a coughing president being supported by the Man of Steel.

"I cannot trust A.R.G.U.S, so once again I need to call for your aid. If what you said is true, this planet's existence is on the line. Please save us from annihilation."

From Superman to Cyborg, all of the League members nodded vigorously, before immediately setting out to prevent potential disaster.

* * *

 _~Belle Reve, Louisiana~_

An unnatural darkness moved ominously around a muscled individual, who stood there silently, holding a broadsword that was splattered with blood. The person did not feel, nor care about the black and purple strings of energy that fluttered around him; his eyes were completely focused on the sword in his hand.

A light-skinned individual with pointy ears and a bright red mohawk on his otherwise bald head stared at him from the place where the youth would normally expected to see his reflection. The man in the sword was smiling joyously, his dark, greenish brown eyes gleaming.

"You're a hero, Trunks. Wherever life takes you, know that I'll always be proud of what you've become." The man stated as his face disappeared back into the blade, revealing the reflection of a lavender-haired youth who couldn't hide his tears.

"Hraaaaahhh!"

With a bone-chilling scream, the man threw the blade at the vast emptiness, never seeing it fall as it got engulfed by the darkness. Subsequently, the man fell on his knees and wept.

"I'm sorry..." The man cried out, watching his own tears disappearing into the darkness as well. It took him a while to steady himself, but when he stopped crying, he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder.

Looking up and behind him, he stared at the violet eyes of a young adolescent girl in a black cloak. A violet bang fell down her face, but the rest of her hair and body were otherwise concealed by a cloak.

"Who was he? He looked like a dear friend, but your heart felt strange when he spoke to you." The girl asked as the man stood up, his blue eyes lacking the vibrancy and confidence he once had.

"H-he was my first real loss. the one that started it all..." The man answered as he stared into the distance.

"But why do I feel-"

"Shame, regret, self-loathing? I wasn't strong enough to help him, so the only way to help him was to take his life."

The cloaked girl stepped back as a wave of golden energy erupted from the youth, his blue eyes turning into a hateful green.

"How could he be proud of me?! What's the point of trying to be stronger if it was never going to make a difference to begin with!" The man raged as he let out a fearsome roar.

The girl, although overwhelmed by the fury and pain the man radiated, started to move towards him determinedly. The golden aura was painful, but she held on steadfastly while trying to ease the man's broken heart. Finally, after a lot of effort, she managed to touch his head to calm him down using her unique powers of empathy.

"Rachel... Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to help me? I lost everything... I've nothing to fight for anymore. Darkseid stole everything I held dear from me..."

For quite some time, Rachel did not answer. The two kept silent for a bit, watching the eternal darkness while in each other's company. Finally, she answered as her violet eyes burned with passion.

"I disagree, Trunks. There's one thing that you still have. Something which your loved ones would make as proud as a peacock. Something that is unique only to you."

Trunks watched as the girl known as Rachel moved away from him. He did not feel compelled to reach out after her, until a beautiful bluish orb of light erupted from her hand.

"This light, Trunks. This, is your greatest power." Rachel ended as she slowly disappeared into the darkness.

"Rachel, Rachel wait! What is that light!" Trunks yelled as he chased after her. Slowly the darkness disappeared as a blinding white light banished it from whence it came...

* * *

Trunks opened his eyes slowly, feeling the strange embrace of a warm liquid around his naked body. He couldn't see what was in front of him, but he could hear distant voices around him.

"Well, doctor Sivana?"

"Be patient, professor Ivo, the alien is almost ready."

Trunks shook his body slightly, trying to move his extremities. For some reason he couldn't. Even his head was stuck in place. When his eyes stabilized, he could see two individuals staring back at him from behind a green filter. That was when it hit him.

"Ah, the recognition in his eyes, just what I was looking for. Now, let's give his temporal lobe a good shocking."

Trunks hardly realized what was happening to him, until an unbearable pain shook him through his core. Immediately visions of the monsters that destroyed his life cascaded like snapshots through his brain.

"Androids... Cell... Hirudegarn... Darkseid..." The youth snarled as his body started to erupt.

"This... this is incredible! Where the hell is my tablet! These numbers need to be assessed immediately!"

Trunks could hear the excited gasps of the people through the glass, which only made his anger grow. These people, they were forcing him to relive the pieces of his broken heart, just because they felt like experimenting on him! Anger and rage coursed through him as he started to struggle against the bonds that held him, his bloodlust starting to increase exponentially.

"Professor Ivo, we need to shut him down! The tubes are overloading with energy! They can't sustain much more!"

"Nonsense, doctor. This is the only opportunity I have to study him thoroughly, and the data I'm receiving is just perfect! Besides, this was your ide-"

The individual behind the glass never managed to finish his sentence, because a piercing roar from Trunks resulted in an explosion of golden light that broke the bonds and cage that kept him captive. Shards of glass, metal wires and greenish liquid were splattered around the strange white room as Trunks fell on his knees, trying to catch his breath. When he looked up, he saw two bald headed scientists staring at him in shock and moving slightly back.

"You imbecile! I told you-"

"Shut up and get through the door! Lock this place down, now! Call the Suicide Squad!"

Trunks endured great difficulty to bring himself back to a standing position, despite feeling the power of his Super Saiyan transformation coursing through his veins. He watched quietly as the two scientists escaped through the massive metal doors and closed them, his vision red with rage. Trunks immediately tried to go after them, but the insane throbbing in his head stopped him for a moment. He felt fatigued, sluggish and overall burned out, but that could not tame his rage at the way he was being treated. He was going to make them pay.

While thinking that, he quickly shot a ki blast containing as much power as he could muster at the metal doors in front of him, quickly blasting them apart. The moment Trunks stumbled haphazardly through the hole in the door he had created, a panicked voice echoed throughout the room.

"Don't just stand there like imbeciles, constrain the Demon Angel!"

Before Trunks could realize what was happening around him, he saw a massive shark-like creature charging at him. Due to his fatigue and grogginess, he was unable to react as the behemoth slammed into him, sending him back into the room where he was being contained earlier.

"Time to eat!" The being roared as Trunks shook his head in frustration and backhanded the monster into the nearest wall. Flashbacks started to flow into his mind, reminding him that this monster was familiar.

"Red Hood, what are you doing! He's in a delusional state! He'll kill you!"

"Do I look like I care, Nightwing! He can help us save them all, save Kori!"

While Trunks struggled to get up, he heard various shouts coming from the other room. As he focused his eyes, he could see a silhouette going through the smoke. He was ready to defend himself, but instead of being met with an attack, an outstretched hand appeared before him.

"Take my hand! We're here to help!" A man in a black suit and a crimson helmet stated curtly. Trunks wasn't entirely sure who to trust, but his doubts were thrown out of the window when the person put off his helmet momentarily to show his face.

Anger, frustration, helplessness, but also sheer determination and sincerity. That's what Trunks could see inside the man's blue eyes that mirrored his own. He did not hesitate a second longer and grabbed the man's hand, who pulled him back on his shaky feet.

"The name's Red Hood by the way, and I think this is yours. They took our friends too, will you help us?" Red Hood asked as he put his helmet back on and pushed his Brave Sword towards him. Before the two could so much as make a step forward, the monster was already standing and in the process of pummelling them.

"Hrraah!" Trunks immediately yelled in response as a yellow beam of energy slammed into the giant's torso, bringing him down once more.

"I take that as a yes." The Red Hood quipped as he admired the way Trunks seemed to have handled that issue.

Without skipping another beat, the two rushed back into the main laboratory, where Red Hood's compatriots, an adult black and blue spandex, and a child in colourful suit of various colors, were engaging in combat with a woman with pearly-white skin and pigtails, and a man in an armored suit and a crimson visor. Trunks immediately recognized those two from when he fought Wraith. The sharpshooter and the harlequin…

"I will pummel you!" A gruff voice suddenly roared.

Trunks' fierce green eyes immediately locked onto another behemoth who was charging at him; a giant of a man with a ginger mane.

"Get out of the way!" Red Hood yelled, but Trunks pushed him aside instead.

"Hyaah!" Trunks roared in rage, slicing his blade diagonally down on the giant's torso, cutting him apart with ease. The entire room turned quiet as the giant's wails died down to a last gasp. The entire room turned silent upon seeing the brutal display of might, each individual hiding a different expression on their face.

"Damn, why the hell did Waller bring Wraith with her? Could use him right now…" The sharpshooter with the crimson visor growled in frustration, breaking the ice. Trunks' fearsome gaze immediately settled upon him upon hearing the mention of Wraith.

"Aww Deadshot, you made him even angrier by mentioning 'you know who'." The harlequin woman quipped, involuntarily taking a step back as Trunks' aura started to surge. He remembered how he was humbled and ridiculed by that heartless alien, and that made him furious inside. Before he could reach out to the two, the titanium doors across the room opened. The two scientists were scurrying away from the carnage like rabbits running away from a surveying eagle.

"Go get them, we'll take care of these clowns." Red Hood ushered as he joined his other allies into battle, while Trunks rushed towards the doors, tearing them apart with his bare hands as they were about to close in front of him. The moment he took a step forward, his heart almost came to a stop.

Rows upon rows of prisoners, just like him. Tortured, afraid, lonely… He did not need a second longer to hesitate, because before he knew it he was already tearing open each and every cell or tube that came across his way, placing the numerous individuals gently on the ground, but as quickly as he could.

As he continued to tear down the various prisons, one of the prisoners, an orange-skinned woman, fell down on top of him. Trunks almost lost his balance, but held steady as he supported the woman who was a few inches taller than him. Tears were flowing down her beautiful face as lime-green eyes met his fiery ones.

"P-please, no more…" The woman quietly sobbed as Trunks held her tightly for a few moments, his stomach wrenched up in abhorrence as the woman's voice betrayed her anguish.

"Look at me, it's going to be all right…" Trunks muttered as he consoled her, holding her tightly to his battered body.

"I'll be back soon." Trunks growled as he placed the woman gently on the ground and turned towards the door where the scientists had gone through. He didn't want to just kill them anymore. He wanted to annihilate them, torture them while they pleaded for mercy. Mercy he wasn't going to give. What they conducted here was unforgivable in the Saiyan's eyes.

He was almost ready to blast a hole through the metal doors, until his bloodshot eyes caught the sight of one last prison. When he saw who was inside, his bloodlust had vanished immediately, as if it was never there to begin with.

"Rachel…" Trunks immediately gasped as he slammed his fist into the tube, shattering the glass and freeing the unconscious girl. This was the girl from his dream, the one who kept him company to keep the nightmares at bay while he slept endlessly.

"Rachel, please wake up…" Trunks muttered as he gently shook the young woman in his arms, promptly ignoring the haggard breathing of the scientists escaping through another set of doors.

It took a bit of time, but Rachel eventually opened her eyes. In response, Trunks finally showed a small smile.

"T-Trunks?" Rachel asked with a slight cough, while placing a hand on the man's forehead. A rush of calmness washed over the youth, who finally managed to think straight.

"Oh Kami…" Trunks croaked out as he watched his own expression inside the violet eyes of the girl in his arms, appalled at how murderous and vengeful he looked. It caused him to revert back to his base form as he held Rachel close to his chest.

"Kori! What the hell did they do to you?!"

Trunks watched silently as the Red Hood and one of his allies kneeled in front of the orange-skinned woman, who seemed to recognize the two.

"D-Dick? J-Jason? Is it finally over?" The woman asked, her voice quivering. This caused Red Hood, or Jason, to raise his voice in anger at his compatriot.

"Look at her, Dick! Just look at her! They tortured her and left her to rot! I don't care what Batman said. I'm going to punish these fuckers for what they did, and you're not going to stop me."

"Let's just first focus on helping Kori and the others before you start on a killing spree, and stop accusing me of being too soft again, Jason. You're not the only one who wants justice for this atrocity." The person in the black spandex suit and blue eye mask known as Dick answered, while he turned to Trunks. Trunks could clearly see the hesitance this 'Dick' displayed when he approached him, unsure as to whether approaching Trunks was safe. He seemed to ignore his doubts, however and gave a soft, but friendly smile.

"Wow, apart from the lavender hair, you look practically human." He began as Trunks forced himself up and supported Rachel by carrying her in his arms.

"Where am I? Who are you all?" Trunks asked in return, his eyes momentarily focussing on Red Hood holding the orange-skinned woman tightly. The man known as Dick answered solemnly.

"The name's Dick, short for Richard. Usually call myself Nightwing when I'm on a mission though, but I guess Kori already spilled the beans… The little dude in the colourful suit in the back is Robin. Red Hood you already know. You're on a planet called Earth… These people were experimenting on you and your friend. We're here to rescue you and the others. I'm sorry for what they did to you… We'll make it right."

Trunks was visibly shaking upon hearing the name of this planet.

"H-how? Earth got destroyed… by Darkseid!"

Again, the rage started to resurface. Before he blacked out before his capture, he saw his own home being destroyed, so what this Nightwing person said didn't make sense to him.

"T-Trunks, stop, please…" Raven moaned as strings of violet energy danced around her fingertips. Trunks felt another wave of harmony washing over him, but it was only enough to quell his pain for a moment.

"T-thanks for the help. The name's Trunks." Trunks answered as his mind still reeled from the revelation.

"Just doing the right thing, but you're welcome." Nightwing replied courteously as he turned his back to look at the boy known as Robin approaching the group.

"Now what, Nightwing? We can't bring them all with us." The one known as Robin stated as he eyed the freed, but distraught prisoners behind him rather unsurely.

"We have to call the League, tell them that we screwed up. I see no other way." Dick sighed as he put his finger to his ear, pressing at some sort of com device. Before he could even open his mouth to speak, the facility started to rumble. Trunks clutched his head in pain as his fried senses got bombarded by an insane power level that could not be ignored.

"What is happening?!" Nightwing asked urgently as he turned around, seeing the fearful expressions of the many residents of this facility.

"T-This ki…" Trunks gasped in shock, unsure whether his senses were working correctly. This ki was the same as-

"Ki? What do you mean? Who the hell is coming?!" Red Hood asked as Trunks used his blade to keep him at bay.

"Move out of the way, now!" Trunks roared as he shot an invisible blast of ki, pushing Red Hood and the people behind him away, before shielding Rachel as something powerful came down next to him. Trunks let his aura explode when a rain of debris went his way, shielding the others from harm.

"What the hell?" Red Hood gasped as he and the rest stood there bewilderedly at the two beings who appeared from above. A small man clad in a golden light had grabbed the occiput of a blue-skinned alien who was covered in a lava like substance, and pulled him upright.

"W-Wraith? A-and…" Trunks exclaimed, unable to utter the word that started to form in his mind as fearsome green eyes stared into his soul.

"I'll let your superiors know, you blue-headed buffoon," The golden individual began venomously as his other hand started to burn through Wraith's neck, before viciously slicing through it.

"that imprisoning and experimenting on _my son_ has been the greatest mistake of their sorry lives, punishable only by annihilation!" The man ended as he crushed the alien's skull, before staring deeply into the blue eyes of Trunks.

"Father…" Trunks croaked, unsure as to what to process. He promptly ignored the shocked eyes of the people around him after he had opened his mouth.

"Yes my son, I'm here now. Everything's going to be alright…"

* * *

 **Greetings, readers. First of all, I want to thank you for reading this chapter and I would love to know your thoughts. I want to apologize for the fact that the update took super long, but I'm currently doing internships so I don't have a lot of free time currently. That being said, I want to elaborate on a few things from this chapter.**

 **As you might've noticed, this chapter contained lots of political and (fictional) scientific themes that were difficult to write about. I hardly know a thing about the American rights system, so if I portrayed things incorrectly then I want to apologize for that. However, wanted to up the scale a bit when it came to world building. I want to integrate Goku, Vegeta and Trunks into the DC comics world in a way that is both true to their characters and believable, which also means that they'll clash with the believes of the Justice League, especially Vegeta. The Z-fighters have always killed their hateful enemies (except for Goku most times) and do not believe in the 'Batman' philosophy. This difference in ideals and beliefs is going to make it difficult for them to fully integrate in a society that lives with Superheroes who usually do not kill.**

 **Also, I'm no expert when it comes to the science being talked about here, so please bear with me about that too. Still, writing about the science parts was actually refreshing. I enjoy delving into the powers and abilities of each individual and how an alien's physiology works so that scene had been a pleasure to write.**

 **By the way, did you find this chapter a bit too long? I was thinking of splitting this one up into two chapters due to its length, but then again, Vegeta finally reappearing back on Earth, bloodlusted as ever, seemed like a perfect ending to the chapter.**

 **Oh and before I sign out, is anyone interested at being a beta reader? I kinda like need one so if you're interested, PM me. Thanks in advance and enjoy the rest of the day/night!**


	7. A precarious truce

**Arc 2: Lost dreams, part 2: A precarious truce**

 _~Belle Reve, Louisiana~_

Time seemed to have slowed down for the lavender-haired Saiyan as the lifeless body of the behemoth known as Wraith crashed down onto the stone-cold floor. He did not pay attention to the stream of the alien's blood painting the white floor an ominous crimson, or the gasps of shock and fear coming from the people behind him. Instead, his tranquil blue eyes were gazing up at the teal ones of his father, which initially shone with unbridled ferocity, but quickly started to dim as his gaze turned towards him.

Although Trunks was confused and wary at first, the moment he could bask in the glory that was his father's powerful and unique energy signature, he finally realized that this was not a hallucination made by his still reeling mind. This really was his father, the one he trained with, fought with… and respected greatly. Upon realizing that, a wave of joy washed over him.

"Father… I don't know how or why you're here, but am I glad to see you!" Trunks exclaimed as he stumbled towards him. He felt a delicate, but urgent tugging at his arm from Rachel, who was probably thinking of the new arrival as a threat, but not even her pleas and whimpers could stop him. With a gentle push, he forced his arm away from Rachel and motioned her towards Nightwing, before heading back to face his father.

He had so many questions, mainly due to the ridiculousness of his sudden appearance. Even though it was a few years back, he still remembered the battles he fought with him vividly: from fighting the Androids, the monstrous Cell, or even Bojack and his space-pirates, before eventually saying a final goodbye. He always thought that he was never going to see him ever again, that only the memories remained. A smile appeared on the swordsman's face as he remembered Yamcha telling him that his father was engulfed by an all-consuming rage when he succumbed to a gruesome wound Cell had inflicted on him. To see his father again, with power that was even beyond his wildest imagination, was reinvigorating.

That spark of hope started to dwindle however, when his father's demeanour started to shift.

"Trunks, I need to know… Are you here because…" Vegeta's gruff voice stammered as his face started to contort into something that Trunks could only describe as 'shame'.

"Father?" Trunks asked, concern starting to appear on his youthful face. Why did he look so forlorn, regretful?

"Because that monster destroyed your world?"

Trunks felt his heart churn as his father's poignant words rung through his ears. Memories of a burning world started to flood through his mind as he held a torn, bloodied lab coat and a flock of blue hair in his hands, his tearful eyes vengefully turned at a monster concealed in darkness, with only its crimson gaze visible. He wasn't delusional anymore; he remembered it all now. That revelation caused his aura to explode back into a golden light.

"Darkseid…" Trunks snarled as a sphere of lightning engulfed his very being, before his body quickly gave away due to his weakened state, forcing him on his knees as he lost his golden splendour and returned to normal.

"H-He came out of nowhere with a massive army. I stood no chance…" Trunks grumbled through clenched teeth, his eyes fixated on the ground.

"H-He murdered mother, incinerated her… and made me watch!"

Trunks' scream sounded more like a gurgle as he watched his tears puddling on the cold floor. The worst thing for him was the fact that he had to fight all alone. After all, everyone else on his world had died a long time ago.

"I-I could only watch as he then tore my world asunder before I blacked out. The next thing I remember was waking up inside a ship, before crash-landing on this planet…"

He felt like he had no hope left, but when he looked back at his father, a lone thought sparked it again for just a moment.

"B-but you're here now, wherever here is, right?! Your ki, it's gotten so strong! We can defeat him together, with Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin and the others! And maybe Goku could be wished back to life, right? Assuming you haven't done that yet! We can-"

Trunks' mind was racing with thoughts of what he remembered of the past the last time he was there. Goku was dead, wanted to stay that way as well, while young Gohan took up the mantle as Earth's greatest protector. His thoughts' momentum disappeared entirely when his father touched his shoulder.

"Son…" Was the only thing he muttered, but Trunks saw the rest of his words lingering in his father's twinkling eyes. It shattered the lavender-haired warrior's hopes entirely.

"N-No, that can't be! You came here to save me, right?! You gathered the Drago-"

The lavender-haired youth's eyes turned devoid of life as his body stopped shaking upon realizing the truth. The only thing he could feel now were the tears that did not stop flowing down his reddened cheeks, while Vegeta started to speak.

"Our world is gone, son. Everyone's gone, including Bul-"

A tremor, with Vegeta as its epicentre, appeared when his aura started to spike, but his father managed to control his anger and pain just enough to make the rumbling last for only a few seconds. No words needed to be said about who he was talking about. Knowing that he loved her that much was an almost non-existent relief to the situation at hand, but it meant to Trunks a great deal nonetheless.

"Kakarot and I are the only ones left, stranded in this… rotten universe." His father ended with a hateful growl. Trunks momentarily glanced back at Nightwing and the others as he took in his father's words. He was right, this world was different. Many of them had strange powers, such as shooting a beam of heat from your eyes, or being able to go inside someone's mind and share their compassion, like Rachel did to him, but nobody utilized ki as far as he knew.

One word that he neglected initially however, suddenly alarmed him greatly.

"G-Goku's alive?" Trunks croaked out, his head turning towards his father upon hearing that statement.

"Many things have happened since you left, son. You must have many questions, and there is definitely a lot to talk about, but not here." His father answered as he started to kneel in front of him.

"You pride me, Trunks. Take solace on the fact that you gave it your all, knowing that only death awaited. I can assure you, I will not stop until I've made that monster pay for his sins. But first things first," Vegeta ended as he stood back up with clenched fists.

"I will make the ones responsible for your capture feel my scorn first." Vegeta growled sinisterly, his aura slowly surging back to its full glory. Trunks immediately noticed the fearful gazes of the many prisoners turning to him for help, while Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin readied themselves with grimaces on their faces.

Trunks was about to call his father out, wanting to tell him that these people had saved him, and that it wasn't their fault that he was imprisoned there. His fear for his allies' safety started to lessen however, when he realized that his father wasn't looking at them at all. He was staring at the ceiling, probably using his ki sense to search for someone.

As the lavender-haired swordsman forced himself back up, trying to search for that same energy signature his father was looking for, a small explosion erupted from the ceiling a few meters away from him. Immediately after, he felt a series of different ki signatures homing in on their position.

Trunks watched in a strange mix of awe and wariness as a tall man in a deep-blue bodysuit containing an 'S' symbol on his chest and a red cape descended from the hole. The person, with his dark hair and blue eyes, looked like a masculine human male, but his energy signature felt as alien as the orange-skinned woman in the back whom the vigilantes called 'Kory'.

The next thing he witnessed were numerous other costumed individuals descending from the hole, all of them encased in some strange emerald-green hue. He could spot a tall and muscled individual in a black suit that resembled a bat, an individual in a crimson suit with a yellow lightning bolt on his chest, a man with blond hair in a scaled suit of gold and green wielding a trident, a man in a green and black spandex suit and white gloves with a strange green symbol on his chest that resembled some sort of lantern, and a brown-skinned man that was almost fully composed of mechanical parts, like a cyborg.

Trunks had no idea who these individuals were, but he seemed to be the only one. While his father was visibly seething, Nightwing and the others looked incredibly relieved. He could make out a few whispers of the prisoners as well, saying words such as 'super man', 'bat man' and 'justice league'.

The whispers stopped, however, when Vegeta took a step forward, immediately tensing the atmosphere. The man in the blue suit immediately started to speak afterwards.

"Vegeta, it has been a long time, but it is good to see you." The man began with a glowing smile that Trunks immediately assumed to be fake. Even if this costumed individual was genuine in the way they addressed his father, Trunks still endured great difficulty to simply start trusting every stranger he met. After all, he grew up in a world where he witnessed the worst of humanity on a daily basis. Not to mention the fact that they had an android with them, and although he looked visibly different from 17 and 18, the presence of him involuntarily gave Trunks flashbacks of Gohan lying dead in the cold rain. In his mind, he could currently only trust his father, who looked at them as if they'd done him a great injustice.

The caped man quickly realized that his words weren't exactly doing the trick, so he quickly raised his hands as a sign of peace, and slowly walked towards his father.

"You have every right to be angry, but we can-" He then began, but an enormously powerful explosion of energy erupted from his father in response that forced him back. Trunks had to stab his sword into the floor to keep himself from being blown away as Vegeta brutally punched the man in the gut and a few times in the face, before proceeding to slam him into the nearest wall.

"How dare you, how dare you do this to me!" He screamed as his energy blinded the entire room around him, until an emerald green light appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to fight back Vegeta's overwhelming energy. Trunks squinted his eyes, witnessing the light coming from some sort of ring on the hand of the person with the symbol of what looked to be a lantern on his chest.

"Plan B it is, then! John, it's time to shine! Let's take this bastard down!"

Another explosion from the ceiling appeared, and Trunks watched in awe as another man clad in the same attire as the other appeared, but this person was brown-skinned with short cropped black hair, as opposed to the white skin and brown hair of his comrade. He was accompanied by a beautiful woman with long-flowing red hair, and a scaly green bodysuit.

"Jordan, do not engage! We agreed-" Trunks heard the man in the bat costume yell, but the shining hero angrily turned behind him to speak.

"We agreed nothing, Batman! I will not stand idly by as this maniac tries to pull a 'Mongul' on us! Look, he's even done it to that Wraith guy from back at the congress!" The person known as 'Jordan' answered, before he and his compatriot started to encase Vegeta in some sort of energy construct that shone with emerald light. The woman proceeded to conjure a torrent of water from a drain that lied in the wall and used it to encase the green ball of energy as well.

While Trunks watched as his father's light momentarily disappeared inside the cage of light and water, he immediately rushed towards Nightwing and the prisoners as he realized what was going to happen next.

"Move out of the way, now!" Trunks roared while he fired a kiai at the bystanders of this colourful display before igniting his ki as an ear-splitting roar that was followed by an explosion forced him, and his father's assailants against the walls, shattering the construct in the process.

When the light momentarily died down, Trunks almost wondered again whether this was truly his father. Never had he seen him this angry before, not even when he fought against Cell.

"You all knew how much I had lost! You all knew, that by participating in that blasted plan of yours, my hopes of ever getting my revenge would be slim to nothing! For five horrible years, I have tried to live with the fact that I would never be able to return home and see my family. Yet, you all threw that knowledge in the trash bin and proceeded to betray me!"

Trunks couldn't deny the storm of emotion resonating in the quivering tone of his father's raging voice as he continued to roar his lungs out. And although Trunks was glad that he cared, as it served as a testament of how much his father had changed in the past, it was also extremely disheartening to hear that he had been stuck in this place for five years, questioning his mental fortitude at all times. It made the lavender-haired youth wonder just what he and Goku had to go through.

As Vegeta momentarily ended his tirade to catch his bearings, one of the shining warriors in green started to speak up with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Look, we should've helped your pink-haired 'friend' sooner, but what the hell are you saying about us 'betraying' you?! We haven't agreed on anything! Hell, this is the first time we see you again in like five y-"!" The person answered as he tried to wipe the blood from his mouth, but before he could fully regain his bearings, Vegeta shot towards him like a bullet and slammed him against the wall.

"This is the last time you will ever disrespect me or my son again, fool! The agreement I had with those entitled blue dwarfs you damn Lightsmiths enjoy sucking up to, is over!"

While Trunks had no idea about who his father was talking about, the brown-skinned man definitely seemed to know as he pulled himself from the wall he had been stuck in and proceeded to conjure a massive emerald mole wrench and clamped it on Vegeta's head. The other individual used that opportunity to blast Trunks' father away from him as he coughed loudly to gather his bearings. Vegeta immediately focused on the brown-skinned man, and quickly shattered his construct before grabbing his leg, subsequently sending him flying towards his compatriot.

"All I asked was to be left in peace. As long as you upheld your end of the bargain, I would do the same. But of course, why should I ever expect any decency from a backstabbing crook like you and your damn corps!" Vegeta answered as he raised his hand.

"I have turned a blind eye to many things. You lot and your allies have tried to conquer my home, stole some of my belongings even, but this… this is the last straw! You allowed my son to be experimented on, and knowingly turned your backs on him! For that, you will pay with your lives…"

Trunks' eyes widened as a blue ball of energy started to form in the palm of his father's extended hand. He urgently turned to the many costumed fighters, who were all sprawled around the room, their eyes locked on the bluish sphere that was growing in size.

"V-Vegeta, please listen! L-Let's talk this out! We know what you seek, and we can help you, you just need to allow us!"

With bated breath, Trunks watched as the tall man in the blue suit pulled himself from the rubble he had been lying in, before immediately falling back on the ground, his body looking utterly broken. Despite his obvious injuries however, he remained steadfast in his resolve.

"I'm done listening to you lot! I will not be played for a fool again!" Vegeta answered as the ball in his palm turned ever bigger and brighter.

Trunks felt like his entire body was being held down by a million times the Earth's gravity. Was his father truly stating the truth? Were the strange people truly the cowardly backstabbers his father accused them of? He simply did not know, but before his mind could be consumed by madness himself as he couldn't seem to grasp the reality of it all, he felt a hand clamping on his shoulder.

Trunks turned his head around fervently, seeing the man in the bat costume staring him down.

"You need to stop your father." Was what the man said in his gruff voice. From the tone in his voice, it felt more like a demand rather than a plead.

"Can I trust you?" Trunks asked quietly, while he watched as the man in the scaly golden armor used his trident like a lever to push the rubble off of the crimson-haired woman and pull her to safety, while eventually turning to Vegeta in utter defeat to await his fate.

"Thousands of lives are at stake if that energy ball gets fire-"

When Trunks felt the grip on his shoulder starting to tighten, he forcefully grabbed the man by the collar and effortlessly picked him up, his eyes burning.

"Can I trust you?!" He seethed, while the man in the bat costume frowned as he held himself slack.

"Trunks, stop!"

The lavender-haired swordsman involuntarily loosened his grip as his arm was grabbed by Rachel.

"You can trust them! Please, you're the only one who can stop your father!"

Trunks felt his throat drying up as he saw Rachel's violet orbs looking desperately at him, so he quickly let go of the costumed man.

"I-I can feel your father's anger, his pain… It is genuine! But these people…"

Trunks felt a hand snaking its way towards his shoulder again, and quickly turned around to see the orange-skinned woman with the lime-green eyes smiling softly at him.

"Are this world's greatest heroes. They protect us from evil, and we need them." Kory stated empathically. Trunks slowly pulled his hand away from her soft grip and turned to Nightwing, who gave him a thumbs up.

"We'll make it right, Trunks. I can promise you that, but we need your help first." Dick told him, while Red Hood and Robin nodded at him from a distance. The Human-Saiyan hybrid now knew what had to be done.

"Everyone, stand back." Trunks growled as he searched for whatever power he could still muster, and transformed into a Super Saiyan. They were right, and he knew that his father was better than this. He couldn't just stand idly by as his father started to regress back into something that he had worked so hard to extinguish.

With a burst of his ki, Trunks immediately flew a few meters in front of his father, and started to roar.

"Father! I don't know what the story between you and these people is, but I know they want to help!"

"Don't be naïve, Trunks, and stop listening to their pathetic attempts to bargain! Do not ever believe for a second longer that these people are comparable to the humans you know of! This planet is a mockery of the world we once called home. A rotten planet, full of corrupt weaklings who believe themselves to be the mightiest in the universe. They're lucky that no person like Frieza has ever tried to claim this planet for himself, because they would've paid the price for their delusion a long time ago." His father spat back as he turned back towards the vigilantes. "And these so-called 'superheroes' are in league with the ones who allowed you to be captured in the first place! Those bastards have crossed me for the last time! This ends now!"

"Mother wouldn't want this."

Trunks watched as his father's surging momentarily lessened. He knew he was playing with fire when he spoke of her, especially after hearing that she was gone now, but he had every right to.

"Son," Vegeta began, his anger starting to grow again, but Trunks stood his ground.

"And _He_ wouldn't want this either! I know you have changed, I can see it, feel it… Don't let it go to waste. You're better than this!" Trunks then screamed, and while the many people across the room failed to understand the underlying intricacies of that statement, his father definitely understood.

"Trunks, I," His father suddenly muttered, but before he could continue, a familiar zip sound rattled his brain, and before he could fully react, another person in a torn gi and clad in a golden light stood in front of Vegeta, holding his father's extended wrist. Trunks couldn't hide the million watt smile as he realized who that person was.

"Vegeta, it's alright." Was the first thing the person said in a soft, but firm tone as the pressure around the room slowly started to disappear.

* * *

In just a fleeting moment, the oppressive storm and sweltering atmosphere inside A.R.G.U.S.'s secret laboratory dissipated into merely a breeze as a gold and bluish light started to dim exponentially, but Superman knew that the danger was far from over. With a grunt, he forced himself up as blood and sweat literally cascaded down his temples.

"No, it is not 'alright', Kakarot! I know you've been listening in, and even that clownish head of yours knows that this is an injustice that must not stand!"

Superman's bluish orbs watched as the Saiyan known as Vegeta spat at an individual that stood quite a few inches taller than him, with golden hair that was rather spiky and wearing a torn orange gi. While Vegeta's teal eyes were burning of rage, his compatriot's were tranquil, relaxed.

"And why the hell are you even here in the first place?! I told you to wait at home after you were done!"

As Vegeta ended his tirade, the messy-haired warrior merely started to laugh awkwardly, and decided to answer in a jovial tone.

"Jeez Vegeta, relax! I was going to head back initially after… you know, but your ki suddenly became so big! I couldn't help but peek in just a little bit!"

The friendly looking Saiyan momentarily turned to Clark as his golden splendour dissipated, revealing hair and eyes that were as black as night, before turning to his friend who remained in his golden form.

"You have every right to be mad, but aren't you just a tiny bit hasty with your judgment? I mean, we fought with them side by side, remember? I'm sure they have an explanation, and besides, Trunks is completely fine!"

Although Superman smiled slightly as the newly-arrived Saiyan, whom he remembered his name to be 'Goku', gave a warm welcome to Vegeta's lavender-haired son, he couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine as the pain he was currently feeling reminded him of the mayhem that had taken place mere moments ago.

Superman knew that there was a considerable chance a fight was going to break out, largely depending on which Saiyan breached Earth's atmosphere, and they had prepared accordingly to that. Hal's friend and fellow Green Lantern, an Afro-American by the name of John Stewart, would wait outside with Arthur's fiancée Mera, serving as back-up whenever punches started to be thrown back and forth, because the Saiyans never met those two as far as he knew, at least not Mera. Also, Diana offered to head to the Watchtower and fetch the artefact as a means to barter with them, and Superman expected that they would have enough time for Diana to arrive, because he was positive over the fact that he would be capable enough to defend himself. He had grown stronger after all, thanks to the soothing rays of Earth's yellow sun.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

In the span of five seconds, he had been put out of the fight by punches he could barely see, yet bombarded his body with so much force that he would've turned into mush were it not for his Kryptonian physiology. He could barely move his body as he watched everyone being blasted around the room by a mere spike in Vegeta's aura. The next thing he knew was Vegeta readying himself to blast them all apart, and were it not for Goku appearing in the nick of time, there would be no Justice League left.

Superman shook his head as he forced those dreary thoughts away when he heard Bruce ordering Nightwing to bring all the victims of A.R.G.U.S. to safety, before he angrily stomped towards Hal and John, their eyes locked on to each other as they lay sprawled on the ground. They looked like to be having a silent conversation, which had been interrupted by Bruce's angry voice.

"We are going to have a long talk after this, Jordan." Clark heard as he slowly walked over to them. He watched as Hal and John's looks of pensiveness and frustration towards each other turned to smouldering anger as they forced their battered and bruised bodies from the ground.

"Why the hell do you think this is somehow my fault? And don't give me that tone, Bat-Brain. I'm not one of your child-soldiers." Hal responded in an irate tone.

"You've been hiding information from us." Batman answered back with a hiss.

"We haven't, Batman. Either he's lying, or the Guardians are keeping secrets from us." John replied back in a defensive tone.

"Which wouldn't be the first time either. Not that it's any different from what you usually do, right Batman?" Hal then said, receiving a glare from Bruce in return. Before things started to escalate between the two, Superman picked up the pace and quickly separated the two.

"Stop this, now. Let's just make sure that things do not get worse from here. The people here have seen enough already." Clark stated, while pointing to wreckage all around them, including the body of the deceased Wraith. It was a pity that he lost his life this way, and he made a mental note to at least pay his respects to him after everything was over.

Both Hal and Bruce merely grunted in response, but eventually resigned and went to business.

"I've ordered Nightwing and the others to go with Cyborg as he teleports them to Detroit's S.T.A.R. Labs facility for check-up. Flash is currently tying up Harley Quinn, Deadshot and King Shark in the back, before doing the damage control, and trying to find any documents and belongings of each of the prisoners here. Arthur was going to help, but he's currently occupied." Batman stated as the four of them turned to Arthur, who was holding Mera steady. She had a rather nasty wound on her forehead, and Superman's X-Ray vision showed him that her right humerus was broken in two places. Superman remembered her being the closest with the Green Lanterns when Vegeta let his ki explode, and she wasn't as durable as them despite her Atlantean physiology, so her current state was definitely understandable.

"When Cyborg returns, he'll teleport them to the Watchtower, which currently gives us the opportunity to speak with them." The Dark knight ended as the four turned to the trio of Saiyans, who were already walking towards them. Vegeta looked incredibly pissed, but he wasn't transformed anymore, which was a positive.

The moment the Saiyans arrived in front of him, the Man of Steel started to speak.

"Goku, it's been a long time. I hope the years have treated you well." He greeted courteously. He was quick to notice that Goku hadn't changed a bit in all those years, just like Vegeta. Both their appearance and physiology looked unchanged, with no visible indication of aging, which was probably a Saiyan trait. He did look a bit worn, and considering his torn orange gi, patches of grime and a few droplets of blood here and there, he looked to have been fighting someone.

"Hey, it's good to see you too uh, what were you called again?" Goku asked in return, while scratching his head. This caused Vegeta to smack his head in frustration.

"Superman, or Kal-El, whatever you prefer." Superman responded with a nod.

"Heh, sorry about that! I tend to forget a lot of names, but I do remember that you're quite strong. We should train together sometime!" Goku answered as he started to laugh. Superman inwardly smiled at that. They were lucky at the fact that Goku was far more lenient and willing to talk this out than his friend, who was already starting to get angry again.

Clark barely blinked when he suddenly heard a yelp of pain, as Vegeta's fist connected with Goku's head, before the flame-haired Saiyan turned to them with a growl.

"I will give you a minute at max to explain this farce. Why was my son imprisoned here?" He asked with clenched fists. Batman wasted no time and started to speak immediately.

"Around a month ago, we received reports of your son crash-landing on Earth. We tried to respond, but due to your son's actions and the fact that he landed in a country that sees us as a threat to their sovereignty, we could not prevent his capture." Bruce answered coolly. Superman immediately tensed up as Vegeta's eye twitched in annoyance, but remained silent. This served as an incentive for Batman to continue.

"Your son was transferred to this facility afterwards, which is controlled by representatives of a peacekeeping force known as A.R.G.U.S. We knew of their questionable practices, such as their inhumane experiments, but if we acted with force, we would provoke a war that could potentially wipe out millions of people." Batman ended solemnly. While Goku simply nodded, and Trunks clenched his fists yet did not utter a word, Vegeta was far from happy with this answer.

"Bah, planets and their damn domestic politics! Fine, let's just pretend you're speaking the truth, that does not explain why your masters have infringed on the agreement I had made with them, Lightbulb!"

Superman quickly turned to Hal and John, who both stared Vegeta down with equal ferocity in their eyes.

"We Green Lanterns haven't heard of any agreement or contract you made with the Guardians." John calmly told the two, and quickly hardened his already serious gaze as Vegeta wanted to respond.

"I'm not saying that your words hold no truth, and despite the oddness of the Guardians not telling us about this treaty you speak of,"

"There is absolutely no way that any of the corps would even think of stealing from someone, much less conquering a planet, especially from the likes of you. We're peacekeepers, not fucking criminals." Hal responded by finishing his partner's sentence, his ring pulsing with light which served as a testament to the validity of his answer.

"Oh really? That orange Lar-whatever he's called begs to differ. He actively sought us out and stole our belongings!" Vegeta responded irately. While Superman glanced at Batman, who momentarily glanced back to show that that particular name didn't ring any bells to him either, both Hal and John froze up.

"Yeah, that guy was a strong one, especially on his home turf! If he wasn't a tiny bit insane, he would've made a fine sparring partner." Goku chimed in knowingly, while he brushed his arms with a huge smile on his face. Superman noticed Hal and John eyeing the Saiyan with utter disbelief in their eyes, while Vegeta wanted to snap at him, but refrained from doing so. Goku looked to be oblivious to everyone's demeanour and started to think for a moment, before his eyes widened and he turned to his friend with a gleeful expression on his face.

"Oh, and don't forget those red ones, Vegeta! They attacked us without warning too and vomited yucky stuff that stung when it touched us!"

"Seriously?" Hal suddenly blurted out as he shook his head incessantly. Superman already knew what he was implying. The Saiyans however, did not.

"What are you on about, Lightbulb?" Vegeta asked as he started to lose his patience.

"You weren't attacked by us, so whatever you agreed with the Guardians still stands. You were attacked by Larfleeze, and a few Reds." He answered with a sigh.

"So?" Vegeta asked just as seriously as before, to which Hal sighed exasperatedly.

"Do I seriously have to spell this out for you guys? Larfleeze is the Orange Lantern. _Orange_ , as in, not _Green!"_

"Why the hell does that matter? You all wield a damn ring." Vegeta asked indifferently.

"Different colors of the Emotional Spectrum are powered by different emotions. Our green light is generated by our Willpower," John Stewart answered in a calm tone.

"While Larfleeze wields the Orange Light of Avarice, which means he's powered by his own Greed. The Guardians only hold jurisdiction over the Green Lantern Corps!" Hal stated exasperatedly, while cursing under his breath.

"But Vegeta, what about-" Goku began, but Vegeta shushed him quiet with a glare, before turning back to the two Green Lanterns.

"You better be speaking the truth then, Lightbulb, but that does not stop me from heading to that blasted headquarters of yours. Those Guardians have a lot to answer for." Vegeta ended with a snarl. Superman watched as Hal and John gave each other a glance, before turning back to the irate warrior.

"We'll allow you to go there, but you will behave in accordance to the laws of Oa, which means that you'll keep that little temper of yours in check." Hal stated steadfastly.

"Or what? I already humbled you and your partner with utter ease. Whether it's two, ten or 300 of you ring-slingers makes no difference." Vegeta sneered challengingly. Superman felt the pressure starting to thicken as Vegeta and Hal bore their eyes into each other. They were never going to be best friends, that was for certain.

"Talk shit all you want whilst you still can, Saiyan, but the Green Lantern Corps has fought worse threats than a temperamental alien suffering from dwarfism." Hal answered back with snide. The two of them were ready to go at each other's throats, so Superman quickly started to speak to prevent another physical confrontation.

"I hope whatever misunderstanding we've had has been alleviated, and I sincerely hope that you'll be able to sort this out with these 'Guardians'." He said, feeling a shiver running down his spine at the thought of one of these Saiyans clashing with hundreds of Green Lanterns at once, before continuing.

"In any case, as a token of our goodwill, and a, albeit quite late, thank you for the help you've given us five years ago, we have something that might be of interest to you-" He stated slowly, but Vegeta was quick to dismiss him and pushed him out of the way with surprising ease.

"As if we would need anything from you clowns. The only thing that is worth my time right now is showing the Guardians their place. Lightbulb, you better bring me to Oa now or-" He snarled, while his eyes turned back to Hal, who was already letting his ring pulse brightly. Before they could fling their fists at each other, however, the group's attention was pulled towards an abrupt explosion from across the room. The next thing Superman heard was a painful ringing of metal slamming against metal and when he looked at its source, he saw that the arrived individual had slammed a sword against a bracelet she was wearing.

"By Athena's grace, cease this madness at once!"

Both Superman and Batman looked at each other with relief as a loud, feminine voice commandeered them to stop dead in their tracks. Each individual was stunned into silence as a tall, muscled, but most of all beautiful woman fiercely eyed the two stubborn fighters, before her gaze settled on Goku and Vegeta's son for a moment.

"It is as if Ares himself corrupted your minds with conflict, while you should be allies, comrades! Have you already forgotten the camaraderie we shared when we banished that demon back to his abominable lair?" Diana stated as the heels on her knee-high metal boots clacked on the white floor. Hal wasn't impressed by her display and started to speak.

"For your information, Princess," He began as he created an emerald hand and made it point its index finger at Vegeta. "he started it!"

Diana stopped in her tracks for a moment to eye Hal with a 'you should know better' look on her face, before turning to Vegeta, whose eyes were glued to the amazon's.

"It matters not who started it, Green Lantern, but what does is whether we can set aside our differences, our anger, our stubbornness, to put this conflict in the past and start anew."

Superman eyed Diana carefully as she strode towards the Saiyans with radiating confidence. Although her exterior looked calm and composed, Superman could not ignore her rapid heartbeat and twinkling eyes as she walked towards them with clacking heels. It was almost as if she… missed them.

"Angels, my heart holds great empathy for the pain you carry with you, but we are not your foes. We want nothing more than to aid you as you seek out the stars in search of salvation." Diana stated as she rashly clasped the hands of Vegeta, whose mouth had been flapping in disbelief, but didn't make a sound, before continuing diligently.

"And to show you how much we care, and how much respect and admiration I still hold after you and your courageous ally combated the dark forces that stole away your home and loved ones to save my world, I want to bequeath this to you."

Superman started to smile slightly as Diana let go of Vegeta's hands and grabbed a package that hung from her belt, and started to open it.

"Behold, warriors from beyond the stars, I present you an artefact that is as enigmatic as it is lustrous!"

Before Diana could even end her sentence, Vegeta's son stumbled towards her with a shocked expression on his face.

"D-Dragon Ball! B-But gold?!"

Clark smiled as he watched the trio of Saiyans each expressing themselves differently as Diana bestowed the golden orb upon them. It was now safe to say that Diana's assumptions regarding the importance of the magical artefact for the Saiyans was correct, but why was still a mystery to them.

"Oh wow, I didn't know Earth had one too! This is awesome!" Goku cheered, but he was quickly stopped by Vegeta as he urgently turned back to Diana.

"Woman, how did you…" He began as his shocked gaze tried to figure it all out by looking at Diana's blue orbs intently, but the warrior princess was an expert in hiding her intentions. She only gave a victorious grin in return, not even minding the way she was addressed.

"I will gladly tell of the adventure that preceded the acquiring of this orb, but it would please me greatly if you'd share your knowledge of it as well."

Kal winced as his ears picked up Batman snarling quietly at Diana's proposal. He saw Vegeta wanting to explode into outrage, but Diana did not give him the liberty to speak.

"As I stated earlier, we want nothing more than to help you all, isn't that right?" The amazon princess asked as she turned to Superman and the rest. Clark smiled awkwardly back as John remained silent, while Bruce and Hal openly let their disdain hear, the latter being a tat bit more vocal than the former. Diana completely ignored them and continued to address the Saiyans.

"I'll allow you the liberty to discuss this amongst yourselves first if that is what you desire, but it would be wise to not do that here. This place will soon be swarmed by its security." The amazon simply stated as she pushed a small button on a silver ring she wore, creating a portal that opened with a loud 'boom'.

"Please, allow me to invite you to the Watchtower, our headquarters…" She ended with a courteous smile as she stepped through the portal, with the Saiyans following her with vastly different expressions on their faces. Superman hesitated for a moment as he took in Batman's aggravated snarl on his face.

"Diana, what the hell are you thinking…" He grumbled, before heading inside himself with the two Green Lanterns following. Superman was the last to enter, but not before he smiled as he realized something.

"I think you already know, Bruce…"

* * *

 _~The Watchtower, Earth's orbit~_

Diana hummed to herself merrily as she swiftly, but carefully carried a kettle of tea and a few cups on a tray with her. Her nostrils twitched with delight as she smelled the Themysciran spices she had used to flavour it, and she subsequently smiled. She was truly glad that she stumbled upon this type of beverage when she first arrived on Man's World. She drank water, and on occasion Themysciran wine, for most of her life, so she was pleasantly surprised that drinks like this also existed. Tea, especially the ones she flavoured with her own native spices, helped her relax and focus.

The tea she made today, however, wasn't intended for herself. There were others who needed it far more right now. Beings who clearly needed to relax and collect their thoughts after everything that had transpired half an hour ago.

She could hardly believe it, still. The Saiyans had returned to Earth, after disappearing so suddenly for five long years. Although many of her allies didn't like it one bit when she invited them over, it felt like the most sensible thing to do. After all, Belle Reve was in shambles after the battle the Saiyan known as Vegeta had waged with her Justice League allies, and a swarm of soldiers would've arrived there soon to cause more unnecessary havoc.

As Diana walked down the halls of the massive satellite, she let her thoughts linger back to the Saiyans and their elusive nature. It was understandable that the League, especially Batman and the Green Lanterns, didn't trust them due to their actions which suggested them to be worrying threats, that was never the case for her. She knew what their true intentions were, knew what pain and rage they carried with them. She had felt it herself, when the flame-haired Vegeta involuntarily touched her Lasso of Truth when he saved her life so selflessly. A storm of emotions had flooded her mind when she connected with the alien for just a fleeting moment. A beautiful, bittersweet symphony of love and rage had touched her soul, but there was something wrong with it.

She had been used to the Lasso's touch for many years now, and she was more than adept at filtering the negative emotions out of her system she involuntarily felt every time she used it on someone, be it a painful sadness or even a heartless delight from the psychopaths that roamed this flawed world. But even those feelings were nothing compared to what she had felt from that powerful and enigmatic being.

As Diana opened the last of the titanium doors that separated the kitchen from the lounge, she was greeted by the sound of a piece of metal ticking against the floor. Sitting on one of the chairs, a lean, yet muscled individual was staring silently at a lustrous orb with a golden sheen, with four twinkling stars of a silvery coloration shining inside it. Dried-up blood and grime covered the exposed parts of his body, but he wore a fresh red T-shirt and grey pants she gave him earlier, because he wore next to nothing at all earlier other than a cloth that covered his privates. What Diana found the most interesting however, was the broadsword the lavender-haired warrior held in his hand.

"Such a divine blade you wield. It is as if Hephaestus forged it himself." Diana began, which caused the human-like warrior to tense up. Diana didn't take it in stride, and simply walked over and offered him a cup of tea.

"Here, it will make you feel better." Diana stated as she placed the cup in front of the man, whose blue eyes connected with hers for a moment.

"Thanks…" He mumbled softly, while he took a sip. Diana mentally patted herself on the back when the swordsman's eyes lit up for a small moment, before her own oceanic blue eyes wandered back towards the sword the man held.

"May I hold it for a moment?" She asked kindly, to which the man silently agreed. With speed and deftness that only a trained Amazon could possess, she sliced the air with it and carefully concentrated on her footwork as she moved around with utter grace. The young man stood in awe at her handiwork, and even started to smile as Diana came to a stop to inspect the blade on any irregularities and dents.

"It is a heavy blade, but its balance is unlike I have ever felt before. Truly forged by a master. What kind of alloy is it made of?" Diana asked curiously, while giving the blade back to the lavender-haired warrior, who sheathed it back inside a brown scabbard.

"To be honest, I don't know. It was given to me when I was younger." The man replied as he continued to feel the contours of the golden sphere in his hand. Diana kept silent for a bit after that as she watched the man playing with the orb. Eventually, she decided to grab a chair and sit next to the swordsman, while placing one of her hands on his. His mind had wandered for a bit, but Diana's gesture had pulled him back to reality.

"I apologize for the intrusion of your personal space, but I want to make amends for the barbaric way you have been held prisoner. I am Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Queen Hippolyta, one of this world's Justice League members. We strive for peace and justice, but as you might have noticed, not all seem to agree with our ways." Diana stated, while she tightened her grip on the man's hand slightly.

"I-It's fine. It is partly my fault. I… I did some things that I wish I could rectify." The man answered with a heavy sigh, before his eyes finally turned back towards Diana with a soft smile.

"I am Trunks. Son of Vegeta."

Diana's eyes glistened as Trunks introduced himself in full. She had her assumptions, but to hear the truth behind it herself made her feel far more understanding on the way Vegeta acted towards them. She would have done the same if her hypothetical child would be in danger, no matter the age.

"I respectfully disagree, Trunks. Nothing that has transpired was your fault. Had that monster not invaded your home, this would never have occurred."

Diana watched the young man's eyes flash teal for a moment while he tried to control himself, and it made that jarring feeling she felt inside her earlier starting to bottle up. It took her years to eventually understand what she felt from Vegeta's soul, but when she finally understood it, she simply could not endure the blasphemy of it all.

"But he did, and it cost me everything." Trunks answered as his breathing became haggard. Diana immediately remembered a particular quote she heard years ago.

 _We do not belong here, Kakarot. We should've died back home._

Diana shook her head as the heavy words carried a revelation, a revelation she wanted to deny, but simply couldn't. These Saiyans weren't from this universe, or multiverse even. They were from something beyond that, and a being from her Orrery Of Worlds robbed them of the life they once had. This was never supposed to have taken place, and Diana felt personally responsible for that, as foolish as that may sound.

She let her eyes wander towards another set of titanium doors in the back. She knew that the other Saiyans were there, arguing with each other about her proposal. She offered them, after they arrived inside the Watchtower, all the resources and knowledge the League possessed to help them find more of these enigmatic Dragon Balls, but only if they told them their story. Their full story. Hal and Bruce especially were not happy with her, but she simply did not care.

"He saved my life." The amazon princess suddenly began as she poured a cup of tea for herself and stared at the warm vapour slowly dissipating in the air. Her words caused the Saiyan to look at her in confusion.

"I was young and naïve back then, and foolishly believed that I could take on anyone and everyone. Meeting Darkseid for the first time, and witnessing the golden beauty your father and Goku displayed in battle proved that I not only had to improve my skills as a warrior, but also change as a person."

The people around her called her a fool for caring so much, but she could not deny her heart. She wanted to help them in any way possible, which was why she ventured the Earth in search for clues of these golden orbs in the first place.

"We Amazons are a proud folk, but we often lack understanding of concepts such as humility. Something your father showed me when he stood in front of me, using whatever power his soul could muster to protect me from certain death, and our entire world, instead of enacting on his well-deserved vengeance."

As Diana ended her tale, she could not help but look on in utter surprise as Trunks started to chuckle quietly.

"Is there something amusing you?" Diana asked curiously.

"No, it's just… my father has changed so much over the years. The first time I met him in the past, he only cared about himself and his own pride. He saw me as a liability first, a punching bag second, and a son as a third. Mother would lose her marbles if she heard what you said."

"In the past?" Diana asked in wonder, her childlike love for stories of the unknown starting to resurface as she listened intently to what Trunks had to say.

"Eh, it is a long story. I don't think we have time to-" Trunks began, but before Diana could implore him to continue, the titanium doors she came out of earlier opened, revealing Barry. Yellow lightning was still coursing around him, indicating that he had been running for some time.

"Uh, Diana, Batman wants to see you." He stated with supressed urgency in his voice, while he walked over to her with a strange set of small capsules.

"I found this back at the lab containing your label. I believe you would want it back?" Barry then asked as he addressed Trunks, whose eyes widened.

"Thank you…" Was all he said as Barry put the four capsules on the table. Diana gleamed at the soft smile the warrior started to show as he stared at them, but quickly turned serious as she stood up.

"Please, share this tea amongst your father and Goku while I'm gone for a bit. I need to discuss some things with my friends." She said as she followed the Flash out of the room. The two did not speak until they arrived at a particular door that was heavily fortified with numerous security measures.

"Barry, how bad?" Diana began as Barry let his eyes be scanned by the camera.

"Bad, Diana. Haven't seen him this pissed for quite a while now." Barry sighed before the door finally opened, revealing all of the Justice League members, including Hal's friend John Stewart, and Arthur's fiancée Mera, whose arm was in a cast. Many of them were giving her either disappointed or angry looks, except for Kal. He looked to be lost in thought.

While pretending to not feel dissuaded from the stares she was receiving, Diana quietly headed inside the room and took her spot at a large circular table. It usually contained a holographic map of the Earth, but it was currently turned off so everyone could see each other better. Her eyes immediately stared at the grim face of Batman, whom she preferred to call Bruce.

"Wonder Woman, explain yourself."

Diana rolled her eyes at the blunt way she was addressed, but that was Bruce for you. Always stoic, thinking without a single ounce of emotion. At least, that's what he always pretended to do. She knew better.

"What is there to explain, Bruce? I simply want to help them." Diana stated calmly, which was not received well by some of her peers. Bruce especially, started to lose his temper.

"Diana, do you realize just how much you have compromised by bringing them here? What potential disasters could occur due to your foolish and naïve actions? Everything we've worked on, achieved and acquired in the last five years could be erased in a heartbeat due to your actions." Batman growled as he angrily pointed at her. Diana shook her head as everyone's eyes were staring at her.

"And that is not even the main problem. What made you think that it was a good idea to offer them all the knowledge and resources we have to help them in acquiring those strange orbs?" Bruce ended as Diana stared him down.

"Because they deserve our help, Bruce." She answered back, which was met with numerous groans and sighs.

"Really, this again? What the hell makes you think that they deserve our help after what happened?!" Hal angrily asked.

"It is because of their sacrifice that our world is currently flourishing, Hal. Darkseid would've enslaved us all had they not arrived at that fated moment. They've given us everything, yet we've done nothing for them. That is simply unjust, which is why we should help them. They're our allies after all."

"The little shit tried to kill us, Diana! Look at Arthur's fiancée! She could've died, and you act like as if that part never existed!"

Diana glanced over momentarily at Arthur and Mera, the former eyeing Diana with a stern look on his face, while the latter had her eyes down, as if she was lost in thought.

"If he truly believed us to be allies, he wouldn't have started attacking us left and right! How can you not see that?!" Hal ended as he clenched his fists. Diana kept her gaze at him and responded.

"They lost their world, Hal. What would you do if you realized your son was alive all this time, and was enslaved on the planet where the allies you believed you had resided? I know his actions were extreme, but I can understand his pain and confusion. I know what I would've done, and I'm certain that some of you would've done the same thing." She answered back as she eyed the brown-haired Green Lantern fiercely.

"How naïve can you be, princess? You think that after all this time you start to forget who fought by your side? No, he knew exactly what he was doing, which gives us enough reason to refuse helping them. Maybe Goku is different, but Vegeta cannot be trusted, period."

Diana wanted to respond again, but her heart sank slightly when she saw the conflicted gazes on her friends. The princess' eyes turned Barry when he decided to speak.

"You know Diana, I kind of want to agree with you, but Hal and Bruce have a point. It's a risk that we simply can't take. They're actually too powerful for their own good."

"Indeed, it is simply not worth the risk. We should send them on their way with the Dragon Ball so they can sort it out themselves. The Green Lantern Corps are better equipped to deal with them." Bruce answered as well while he eyed the amazon princess. Diana simply cast her head down and eyed the table with a frown on her face. She hated to admit it, but she could partly understand Hal and Bruce's point. It was realistic, and the Saiyans hadn't really given them an incentive to feel empathetic to their cause, but it angered her that they were so easily dismissive of the people who risked everything for them. It just didn't feel right.

"I thought people who've lost everything as well would be more compassionate towards them, but I guess my faith was misplaced." Diana finally said as she already decided to turn around.

"Diana, this is about something bigger than us. The safety of our planet is at stake." Bruce growled as his tone became darker. Diana clenched her fists as she turned back around, her eyes burning.

"That did not stop you from trusting Kal, who could just as easily destroy this planet, or Arthur, who could rally the Atlanteans to wage war with the surface world and cause unthinkable havoc. The difference is, while you believe you can take us down when we cross that line, those two are too powerful for you to handle. Thus, instead of allowing them to at least plead their case, you simply shut them off, want them gone."

Diana slammed her fists on the table in anger, and eyed her friends with fervour in her eyes.

"We've all lost something. Tragedy has encompassed us for most of our lives. I wholeheartedly believe that this was one of the reasons why we could work together so well. Because we could relate to each other, and shared the same ideals about not wanting others to suffer the same. It hasn't always worked out, but we've stuck together. Why can't we do it with them? Give them at least a chance, otherwise we would only be hypocrites to ourselves."

Diana felt Kal touch her shoulder as she stared back at the table. While she had been talking, she felt her emotions starting to boil up, and even involuntarily let out a single tear.

"Diana, what have you been hiding all this time? What do you know that we don't? What did you see?" Bruce suddenly began as he uncharacteristically put off his helmet. Diana gave a deep sigh, before she finally responded.

"When Vegeta touched my lasso all those years ago, I didn't just feel his emotions." She began, while pulling her head up.

"I can't really explain it, but it felt like as if their appearance was… blasphemous, something that was never supposed to happen. They come from a place that is beyond the reach of ours, and I'm not talking about them coming from another planet, this universe, or multiverse even. They're from something beyond that. Darkseid must've breached some sort of barrier, or bypassed it, and managed to cause pain in a realm where he does not belong. I think it is only right to help them find their way back, which these golden spheres could maybe help with."

Diana watched as her friends all stared at something else in the room, their faces full of conflict. It was eventually Kal who broke the ice.

"You managed to trust me, someone who, like Diana said, could destroy this planet if he wanted. That did not stop you, because you realized that I'm not like that. Maybe they're different, who knows, but we can at least give them a chance. Maybe we can even learn from them." Superman said with a bright smile as he turned to Diana. She started to smile too as she basked in Clark's positive radiance. While many remained quiet, Mera eventually decided to open her mouth.

"Diana, I usually find you far too trusting, but…" The Queen of Xebel began sternly, but eventually smiled. "I believe it wouldn't be a bad thing to start thinking more with our hearts every now and then. I trust your judgment."

As Mera said that, many of the others started to nod in agreement. Even Batman gave a visible 'hmph' of approval. Hal was the only one who didn't say anything, so everyone's gaze turned to him. The sudden attention at him caused him to sigh heavily.

"Look, maybe, just maybe I was a little inconsiderate, but I can't just start trusting them after all the shit that happened between us. We don't know anything about them, other than the fact that they're crazy strong and humbled even the likes of Mongul with just a sneeze. I believe they've been causing far more discord in the universe than you all care to admit. Helspont is searching for them, and you heard what they said earlier regarding their encounters with Agent Orange and Atrocitus' lackeys."

"Not to mention the 'deal' they seem to have struck with the Guardians, which even we know nothing about." John stated in agreement.

"Indeed. If you want me to start giving them a chance, then we sure as hell need transparency."

"Which is exactly the reason why we should try to help them. Only that way can we break the barriers that split us, and learn who they truly are." Diana ended with a nod towards Hal. As no one seemed to have any last words, it was Superman who eventually spoke up.

"Well, does anyone have any objections while I give them a heads up?" He asked, but before anyone could even begin to react, the monitor in the middle of the table started to beep loudly. Diana saw Batman immediately ticking away rapidly on the holographic screen that appeared, and he eventually started to grimace.

"Hnnn… Who's going to pay for that I wonder…" Was what he muttered before the titanium doors that shut this door off from the rest of the satellite were ripped apart.

"Heh, sorry about that! We were done talking amongst ourselves, so we decided to find you all!" The messy-haired Saiyan known as Goku laughed as he moved through the door. All the pairs of eyes were plastered on the trio of Saiyans as they stood there, with many of them shaking their heads at the destruction they already caused. The eyes of the Saiyans were only plastered on Diana, however, who inwardly smiled when she saw the kettle of tea she made in Goku's grip.

"So you managed to make a decision?" The amazon asked with a smile that only turned brighter when Goku answered with a smile of his own and a thumbs up.

"Yup! It took me some time, but even Vegeta has relented, right?!" Goku answered as he nudged his friend, who gave an angry growl in return as he looked away. The lavender-haired Trunks simply nodded as he smiled slightly.

"So, I guess we're just going to spill the beans. What do you guys wanna know about us?" Goku asked as he walked over to the table and stood in between Kal and her. Diana looked intently as Vegeta took his place begrudgingly by her side as well, with Trunks standing next to him and Cyborg with an awkward gaze at the table. He was stealing glances at Victor, who looked equally uncomfortable, but he didn't seem to take it in stride.

Bruce, who was usually the one who took the lead in meetings like this, was the first to speak.

"Everything."

Diana rolled her eyes at Bruce's curt and demanding response. Goku however gave a grin as he placed his arms behind his head rather sassily.

"Uh, okay then… I don't know where to begin though, cuz it's kinda a long story. Vegeta, do you have any idea?" Goku asked as his gaze turned towards the flame-haired Saiyan, who completely ignored his comrade. Instead, he had been looking at Mera.

"Is there something you want to say?" The crimson-haired woman asked rather tensely. She was surprised however, when Vegeta threw a small green bean at her, which she effortlessly caught with her uninjured hand.

"Eat it." The lithe Saiyan said, but Mera offered him only a cold gaze in return.

"What is this?" She asked as she eyed the bean rather carefully. Vegeta however, simply turned around.

"It will make you feel better."

Mera didn't look to be sold by it, but nonetheless decided to swallow it immediately. Arthur wanted to protest quickly, but his eyes widened as Mera suddenly stood up and ripped the cast on her arm apart.

"By the sea… My wounds!" She exclaimed as she started to stretch, while her smile only started to widen.

"What the hell was that?!" Hal exclaimed as he eyed the warrior prince suspiciously.

"That's a Senzu Bean! It can heal even the most grievous of wounds, and you won't have to eat for like, ten days!" Goku exclaimed as he patted Vegeta on the back, who slapped his friends' hand away in annoyance. As everyone still stood there, amazed by not only the healing powers of the bean, but also the fact that Vegeta decided to give one to begin with, Goku started to speak.

"Anyways, I'll start at the beginning. Buckle up everyone, this is gonna be a long one. By the way, this drink tastes absolutely amazing!" Goku stated as he took a jug out of the kettle, not bothered in the slightest by the tea's temperature. When he was done, he placed the kettle hands on the table and started to speak.

"My name's Son Goku, but my real name, the one I was birthed with, is Kakarot. I was born on the planet known as Vegeta, where most of the Saiyans lived, but I grew up on Earth, our Earth I mean."

"Planet Vegeta? It was named after him?" Hal immediately interrupted as he pointed at the man in question, who was gnashing his teeth at the interruption, but remained quiet. Goku merely laughed at that.

"Yup! Well actually it was named after his father I think. He was the king of our race! By the way Vegeta, how many other Vegeta's in your family were there?"

Diana's eyes widened as she realized what Goku had stated. She had noticed Arthur and Mera's eyes widening as well, while Vegeta begrudgingly started to speak.

"Three, Kakarot, but that's not important right now! Continue at once, and stop making unnecessary comments!" Vegeta shouted, but before Goku could even begin to continue, Diana opened her mouth.

"So you're a prince?"

Her question caused the small man to tense up, but instead of answering her, he looked away. Goku however decided to answer, again.

"Well actually, he should be king now, but there isn't really a lot to rule over, with only Trunks and I being left alive."

"Why is that? Did your planet get destroyed as well? By Darkseid? Were you send to Earth as a child because of him?" Clark asked as he listened intently. Goku simply shook his head.

"Nah, that happened long before Darkseid showed his face. An evil planetary conqueror by the name of Frieza did that."

Diana grimaced as she heard that, with many of her friends reacting the same way. She stole a glance at Vegeta and Trunks, who seemed unresponsive to Goku's words.

"Uh, anyway, after many many years, we managed to defeat him when he tried to claim these for himself." Goku said as he showed a trio of golden spheres, including the one Diana gave them.

"What would a planetary conqueror want with these? They look like jewellery to me." Barry said as he eyed the balls from head to toe.

"Well, back home, we had a set of seven Dragon Balls just like these, but they were orange in coloration. When you gathered all seven, you could summon the Eternal Dragon and make a wish!"

An awkward silence ensued when Goku said that, who seemed confused.

"Seriously? A wish? What the hell kind of bull crap is that?" Hal exclaimed exasperatedly. While many of the Justice League gave him a glare, it was one of the Saiyans who especially took offense.

"See Kakarot? This is exactly the reason why we shouldn't-" Vegeta began erratically, but before he could even think of moving away, Diana grabbed his shoulder.

"I believe you." She stated kindly, yet excitedly as well. Vegeta simply stared at her, shook his hand and quickly brushed her hand off of him. Diana tilted her head at the gesture. She found it incredibly strange that he utterly refused to look at her, despite her wanting to help.

"So Zatanna was right, with these orbs being some sort of conduit…" Bruce mumbled to himself, before his eyes turned back to Goku.

"What can… this 'Eternal Dragon' do?" He asked, but Diana could still hear a small hint of doubt in his voice. Goku didn't seem to notice it though, and quickly continued.

"Back home, Shenron could answer wishes that was within the power of his creator. You could ask for wealth, power, or to even bring someone back from the death."

Diana gasped as Goku told his tale. The idea that there was a being that could grant such things on a whim was… wondrous, to say the least. She could finally understand why they sought these out. Her friends seemed to have realized it too, and from the looks of their faces, she knew exactly what they were thinking. After all, they lost people they loved as well.

"And you want to ask the Dragon to revive your family?" Arthur asked to which Goku shook his head.

"We were hoping if it could send us back to our own universe, to a planet that has a set of Dragon Balls as well. Although to be fair, we don't know if these ones actually work like ours did. They look almost identical though, and we have nothing to lose anyway, so we wanted to find them and see for ourselves."

Diana glanced at her compatriots, who were listening intently at Goku's words. She felt her heart swell up with pride as even the most foolhardy of the group decided to give them at least a chance.

"It's crazy to think that such artefacts exist, right under our noses." Barry mumbled quietly.

"Which is exactly why it should stay hidden. If these balls come in the wrong hands…" Arthur began, but eventually looked at Goku.

"Yeah, we kinda abused it over the years, but it was for a good cause! Vegeta and I've had many enemies, and the Dragon Balls were a blessing in disguise. We could revive so many people who needlessly lost their lives! Then Darkseid came, I guess…"

Diana immediately felt the air tense up as Vegeta and Trunks clenched their fists in unison at the very mention of that monster.

"Hmm, so Darkseid attacked your world, because he found out you had these Dragon Balls on your world?" Bruce asked as he scratched his chin, but Goku shook his head.

"I don't think he knew, because he killed the creator of these balls himself when he attacked our world. If that happens, the balls turn to stone so you can't use them. We'd already used them earlier too, which makes them turn to stone as well for a while."

"I see… another mystery to solve… but I digress. What happened then? How were you transported here?"

"We… actually don't know. It's really crazy, but the last thing I remember is Darkseid ready to tear our planet apart while I was too weak to fight back. Next thing I knew, Vegeta and I were in a strange floating city. There was an old dude who called himself Darkseid's brother, and he wanted to help us. He told us Darkseid was attacking Earth, so he sent us there. That's when we met you guys."

"Darkseid has a brother? This story keeps getting crazier." Hal stated as he shook his head, while Superman started to speak.

"I see… and you guys went back after Darkseid was forced back through the boom tube?"

"Yeah, sorry about that! He told us that he wanted to help, and we had nothing to lose, so we went back. He showed us a uninhabited planet that reminded us a lot of our universe, and that's where we've stayed for the last five years. We eventually found out that a set of Dragon Balls was somewhere in this universe, which was basically the only reason we ventured out."

Diana glanced at Hal and John for a moment, who were looking at each other. From what she knew about the Green Lantern Corps, they governed the entirety of the universe, which they had divided in 3600 'sectors'. They were probably wondering why they never managed to find that planet by themselves.

"Wait, you guys have lived there alone for five years? What did you do there?" Cyborg asked sceptically.

"We… trained? Well, it wasn't entire abandoned. It was teeming with life, just not the ones who can talk back! Of course we ventured outside sometimes, but we usually stayed on the planet. If Darkseid showed his face again, we wanted to be ready. We've grown considerably stronger, but I feel like it's still not enough." Goku answered truthfully.

"So it was like the Room of Spirit and Time all over again?" Diana heard Trunks suddenly speak. Goku nodded affirmatively at that, while the rest looked on in utter confusion. Bruce eventually started to speak up again.

"One thing still eludes me. Vegeta, your son…" He began.

"And what of him?" Vegeta quickly asked in a defensive tone.

"You saw your world being destroyed, with everyone you knew with it. How is he alive then?"

Bruce's astute thinking made Diana remind what Trunks had told her moments ago, but before she could inquire further, Trunks decided to speak up himself.

"It is a long story, but I'll try to sum it up. Vegeta is my father, but _this_ Vegeta isn't."

Before everyone could mumble in a confused manner, the swordsman continued.

"I come from a future timeline, where everyone had died a long time ago, including _my_ father, by a duo of evil cyborgs, or Androids as we called them."

Diana quietly nodded her head as she heard the Saiyan speak. Again, she could finally understand certain behavioural patterns of this man, especially from the way he looked at Victor.

"I used a time machine that my mother invented to go into the past to change history, which pretty much sums it up. Darkseid eventually attacked my world as well, and with me being the only one capable of fighting him, I stood no chance…"

"Wait, you actually managed to travel through time? What was your power source? The Speed Force?" Barry immediately asked as he leaned into the table.

"Speed Force? I don't know what that is. My mother filtered out traces of something that we called 'chronal energy'. Took us a long time, but one tank was just enough for a one way trip. Thankfully, my mother from the past was just as bright, she could eventually send me back home. It didn't change my timeline, I merely created a parallel one, but I managed to get stronger in the past and destroy the threat of my home by myself. That's all for naught now…" Trunks ended as he closed his eyes.

"That's… horrible. Sorry to hear that." Kal eventually said. Trunks did not respond initially, but eventually spoke quietly.

"I-It's fine." He simply stated as he refrained from showing too much emotion. Diana felt her emotions starting to flare up as well. Darkseid heartlessly took everything from them, which was utterly blasphemous. This conversation caused her desire to help them achieve their peace increase evermore.

"So, that's basically our story, without the long details. Problem is, the universe is a big place, and in the years that we've been searching for those balls, we only managed to find two. Thanks to you, we have three now, but maybe you could help us out, or give us a lead?" Goku ended as he sighed heavily.

Diana gave a final glance at her teammates, who all looked lost in thought for a moment, before eventually nodding at Diana quietly. With that, Bruce started to speak again.

"We currently don't have a lot to go with, other than the sphere Diana gave you, but give us some time and we might find something."

"Ah yes! Thanks! We appreciate it, right Vegeta?" Goku exclaimed happily as he turned to his friend who decided to ignore him.

"There might be even a clue that I possibly have missed at the location where I found it." Diana mused as she saw the trio of Saiyans turning to her.

"Oh, that reminds me! You were going to tell us where you found it!" Goku exclaimed as he leaned into the table. Diana nodded with a smile as she used pressed a button under the table that caused the holographic map of the Earth to appear on the table. She searched for a moment, but eventually pressed her finger on a tiny island in the middle of the pacific.

"My journey has led to many locations of magical power on this planet. I've travelled through places such as Nanda Parbat, traversed through hidden temples in the Amazon rainforest, and even tried to commune with various gods and goddesses of old whom were said to embody the art of magic. My travels had led to nothing, until I decided to pray to Athena in desperation on my home in Themyscira. She answered, and delivered me a vision."

"Wait, a literal goddess spoke to you?" Hal asked her with a raised eyebrow. Diana simply nodded at him as she continued.

"An island carved out by an ancient deity of creation, whose name and whereabouts remain a mystery as of this day. On that island was an overgrown temple, shaped like a dragon's maw, with this golden sphere sitting on a pedestal. I found it rather surprising that it was unprotected. There were no traps that tried to burn, skewer or poison me. Neither did people live there that stood in my way. It was fully abandoned."

"No carvings on the walls of the temple that might give us any information?" Bruce asked as he scratched his chin.

"Not that I know of. Just natural erosion and some wear and tear." Diana answered. She turned her head back to the Saiyans when Goku started to speak.

"Huh, that's weird. Back home, every time we used them, they were scattered all over the planet, and never in the same place. Why would you build a temple if it wasn't going to come back to it whenever you used all seven?"

"More importantly, Kakarot. How did she know about what to look for?" Vegeta asked as he finally dared to face her.

"Because we never, ever, told them about-"

Diana had been ready for the question the moment the trio stepped inside this room, and the moment she showed him the Lasso of Hestia, he stopped abruptly.

"You did." Diana stated quietly, which caused everyone to turn to the flustered Saiyan.

"You did, Vegeta? When?" Goku quickly asked as he turned around to face his friend.

"Of course not, idiot! Why would I tell them about our secret?!"

Everyone's eyes turned back to Diana as she held the lasso close to her heart.

"The Lasso of Hestia compels you to tell the truth, but that is only part of her powers. My patron goddesses have blessed this artefact, which allows her to tether my heart and mind to the one who touches it." The amazon stated as she placed the artefact on the table.

"But I never-" Vegeta stammered, his anger starting to rise again, until he realized something.

"It was only for a brief moment, but our hearts connected when you saved me from Darkseid's Omega Beams. This orb, this Dragon Ball, is what gave you hope."

Vegeta's anger deflated in an instant as Diana's words rung through his ears. There was something weighing heavily on his mind after that revelation, but he kept quiet afterwards. He didn't look like the type who desired to share his feelings with others. Rather, he preferred to keep everything to himself.

Another awkward silence ensued afterwards, which was eventually broken by Superman.

"So, what will you do now?" The Man of Steel asked as Goku turned to him and shrugged. As he was about to answer, Vegeta immediately cut him off.

"Kakarot and Trunks will go home, while I deal with the blue dwarfs. We will come back soon to discuss what you have found." The prince growled as he already made his way towards the door.

"But Vegeta," Goku suddenly began as he turned around, which made the man in question groan audibly.

"No is no, Kakarot. I will not commit to this idiocy!"

As Goku's shoulders sunk and he let his head down rather childishly, Diana couldn't help but ask.

"Is there something you would like to ask?"

"Well, I've been thinking," The messy-haired Saiyan began in a surprisingly bashful tone. He was fumbling with his thumbs and moving around rather restlessly.

"Kakarot," Vegeta growled in warning as he turned around, but Goku couldn't contain himself anymore.

"I want to fight both of you!" He blurted out as he pointed to Kal and Diana both, who could only look at each other bewilderedly.

"Kakarot, you oaf! Weren't you listening?! We have no time for this foolishness!" Vegeta exploded as he harshly grabbed his partner's shoulder, but Goku wasn't dissuaded in the slightest.

"Aww, come on, Vegeta! Just one match! I can even live with just a short spar! Besides, weren't you the one who wanted a new sparring partner because you were getting bored of always losing to me?"

"W-What?! You'd dare… I never lost to you, clown! And if you meant that one time, it was because you cheated! You never allowed me to access my full power using that form!" Vegeta answered as he made the satellite rumble while he bore a finger in Goku's chest, who laughed heartily at the accusation. Diana's eyes twinkled as the two Saiyans continued to argue with each other. This was something that she'd always wanted to do! Kal however, seemed to have some reservations.

"Goku, I don't think I would be a match for you." He stated bemusedly, but Goku was having none of that and placed his arm around the Man of Steel.

"Don't worry about it! I'll just lower my ki to be on your level! No wait, I have a better idea. I can start training you! You want to become stronger too, right?"

As Goku said that, Kal started to think. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts, but he eventually started to speak again.

"You know, I think you're right. I could benefit greatly from someone like you." He said, which was immediately met with vocal protests from a few members of the Justice League.

"Superman, this planet-" Bruce immediately began, but Kal surprisingly cut him off.

"Remember what you said to me when we barely managed to repel Amazo a year back? I've been called the strongest being on Earth for five straight years now, but one day I might face a foe that would be too much for me to handle, like Darkseid. I can only see benefits coming from this. I'm sure you can too." He answered, but Bruce still shook his head.

"One wrong move, Superman, and this planet will be…"

"Oh, don't worry about it! Uh…" Goku began as he scratched his head in thought.

"Batman..." Superman began with a sigh, while Goku laughed awkwardly.

"Ahahahaha, I forgot, sorry!" The Saiyan exclaimed, which didn't amuse Bruce in the slightest.

"This is a serious matter, Superman. Even you find it difficult to control your power at times." He growled as Goku placed a hand on the Batman's shoulder.

"I did this all the time back home, so you don't have to worry at all! I can control my energy super easy, and I have lots of experience too." He ended, before turning back to Vegeta, who was looking away in anger.

"Please, Vegeta. We've been stagnating for so long, this could just be the experience we need to go beyond our limits. I'll even give you first picks!" Goku said with as a smirk started to appear on his face.

"Tch, do what you want, Kakarot, but I've no desire to train these amateurs." He said, but before he turned around, Diana had already closed the distance and gently clasped his shoulder.

"Please, your power is amazing, and from what I remember, your fighting skills are unmatched. It would be a divine honour to have you as my _didaskalos_." Diana began as she started to kneel.

"Jesus Christ Diana, his ego is already bigger than his forehead…" Hal groaned aloud as he shook his head in disbelief. The others were staring at her with dumbfounded and embarrassed expressions as well, but Diana simply did not care. Vegeta looked to be at a loss for words as his onyx orbs were glued to Diana's.

"N-No, I will not…" The prince of a forgotten race began quietly, but he was quickly interrupted by his friend.

"Oh, I see. You don't want to admit that I'm the better teacher! That's why you don't want to. It's okay Vegeta." Goku teased him, while giving Diana a wink. This caused an explosion that forced Diana back.

"You dare insult me, Kakarot?! Fine then," He spat as he turned to Diana again.

"Tomorrow, five AM Earth time. I will not tolerate any excuses." The prince growled, to which Diana nodded with a bright smile. Next, he turned back to his friend, who had a challenging grin on his face.

"One month, I give you one month to whip 'Superclown' into shape, and then he'll have a match with her! Let's see who's the better teacher."

Diana couldn't hide her glee as Vegeta angrily walked out of the door and out of sight, while Goku started to laugh excitedly. Even Trunks, who had remained quiet, started to smile.

"This isn't going to end well, is it?" Barry asked to no one in particular, to which Diana shook her head. She had been stagnating for years now regarding her power and skills. What more could she ask than to be trained by the absolute best, who was even part of a royal family!

"Nonsense, Barry. I'm sure we can only get better from here on out." She said as she turned to Goku.

"Yup! Vegeta is a great teacher, believe it or not! Trunks is living proof of that!" Goku chimed in as he glanced at Vegeta's son, who just closed his eyes with a smile.

"Anyways, we should be going now. I'll pick you up tomorrow, Kal!" Goku stated afterwards as he turned to Trunks.

"Come on Trunks, I want to show you something incredibly cool." He stated with a smile, but before he could disappear, Bruce turned to them one last time.

"Trunks, here." He said as he gave him a cellphone-like device.

"What is this?" The swordsman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nightwing wanted you to have it."

"I see… Tell him and the others that I appreciate their efforts in trying to save me. And Rachel… Tell her especially."

With that, the duo of Saiyans disappeared, leaving only the sound of the wind moving past your ears.

"We're heading out too. Need to bring the angry midget to Oa after all. I'll let you know how it went." Hal stated as he and John disappeared through the door. The rest of the group heard a few angry shouts from both Hal and Vegeta, before they disappeared into the vast cosmos as well.

"You know, that went surprisingly well. To think that Vegeta of all people offered to heal Mera's wounds with that strange bean. Though I feel like they've been neglecting some important things. Still, they weren't as bad as you and Hal tried to advocate." Barry mentioned as he walked over to the door as well. Arthur and Mera followed him.

"I'm sure they'll tell us in due time, but it's a good first step. Now, we need to clean up this mess at congress. They've been waiting for too long." Superman answered to him as he followed behind him. Cyborg followed suit, with Bruce and Diana staying behind. Diana was about to leave as well, but Bruce stopped her for a moment.

"Diana, I can't say I agree with you and Clark… But that has never stopped you before. Just… be careful." He stated finally. Diana sighed, but eventually smiled and gave Bruce a quick, but firm hug.

"You can trust them, Bruce. They're good people."

Diana, with a skip in her step, headed out to follow her Justice League compatriots, her heart beating rapidly away…

* * *

Batman eyed his compatriots carefully as they each left to head back to congress. He needed to go as well, because he was already seeing tweets on social media of people wondering where the hell Bruce Wayne went when the chaos at the congress ensued. There was one thing he still needed to do, however.

Using his wrist-computer, he opened a private comm link and heard someone speak.

"I'm not the only one, right?"

"No, you're not."

"Good. Didn't expect anything less from you, Bats. Whatever he's hiding, I'll find out when we're on Oa. Not knowing the difference between the different Lanterns? Secret treaties with the Guardians? Absolute bullshit. This guy knows more than he's letting on, and he can't be trusted. Found some interesting intel from a few bounty hunters as well that hide among the criminals that you might be interested in. Many of them mention our flame-haired midget."

"Make sure the others, and Diana especially, don't find out about this. I'll try to get a lead on Darkseid's 'brother' Goku mentioned. Batman out."

With that, the tall billionaire started to dress back up, and prepared himself to head back.

* * *

 _~Belle Reve, Lousiana~_

A sickening cough echoed throughout a small laboratory deep inside the prison of Belle Reve as a bald man in a torn labcoat rested against the cold wall. The man had been running for quite some time now, trying to hide from the monster that tried to claim his life.

"Damn it, if only Sivana applied the anaesthetics correctly…" The hoarse voice of Professor Ivo growled as he forced himself up when he heard the incessant ringing of a phone that lied on the table on the other side of the room.

Immediately when he put it next to his ear, he was bombarded by a loud, hissing voice.

" _Damn it, Anthony, what the hell happened?"_ A low, yet feminine voice asked.

"Well, you see…" The professor began quietly, but the person on the other side of the line quickly shut him up as she clicked her tongue knowingly.

" _I can have you killed for this, Anthony. To think that you would be stupid enough to disobey my direct orders."_

Anthony Ivo gulped loudly as he heard the voice hissing furiously through the phone.

"Miss Waller, the Saiyan may be gone now, but my research regarding my newest Androi-"

" _I don't want to hear any of your excuses, Professor. You've cost me almost everything, and if you do not give me a completed prototype in a week's time, I'll have your head. Tell Thaddeus the same regarding his research on the magic of the ancient Teth-Adam as well. I want that power collected asap. Because of you I need a new fucking bodyguard."_

With that, the connection started to disappear, making the professor sigh.

"Oh, you'll get results Waller…" Ivo hissed evilly as he walked over to a table where his latest creation was lying motionlessly. It had the form of a massive humanoid with an orange mohawk and golden hoop earrings. The humanoid wore a dark bodysuit with a lime-green armored vest over it. On its chestplate was a red symbol with two 'R's in it. Connected to the robot were various tubes, each containing some sort of fluid that was powered by a device that was working overtime on an algorithm. Its head was also connected to a large supercomputer, its wires looking overloaded with electricity.

"When I've finished you, I'll let you loose on this unjust world, starting with Waller…"The Professor grinned as he placed his hand on the robot's chest.

"Such an amazing nuclear power source you already had inside you… combined with the metahuman powers of my experiments… My dear P-Maze, you will be my greatest creation yet!"

Without the professor realizing, the supercomputer started to beep slowly, with a very tiny message starting to appear on the corner of the screen.

 _Must. Kill. Goku._

* * *

 **Ladies and gentlemen, I did it. I finally managed to finish this chapter after like, five months. Crazy things have been happening in my life that forced me to down the time I usually spend on writing. Not only that, this chapter was so difficult to write. Way too much emotional dialogue, but I had to get it out of the way eventually. Wanted to ask many of you to beta-read it, but that was gonna take even more time, so I just decided to post it.**

 **In any case, there are a few things I want to mention about this chapter. First of all, Goku's back! You might already know what he had been doing, but the entire story will be revealed next chapter (or the one after that). It's action packed, that's for sure!**

 **Next chapter will also give you guys more insight on what Vegeta's been doing during the five year gap. The prince's been struggling a lot with his emotions due to Bulma's death, and some people intend to exploit that. Stay tuned for that, I'd say.**

 **And of course, ever wondered whether I was going to introduce more DBZ characters? Wonder no more, because Professor Ivo is doing some evil things with everyone's favourite Android. He's not going to be the only one either, but I'll keep that a secret for now.**

 **Anyways, tell me what you think of the chapter! Were people OOC, or was it too emotional for your tastes? I like reading the reviews, and don't hesitate to ask any questions! I'll try to answer every single one via PMs. Have a good day!**


	8. Insidious revelations

**Chapter 8: Insidious revelations**

 _~Planet Shenlong, the Unknown Sectors~_

"You can open your eyes now, Trunks! Welcome to planet Shenlong!" Shouted the light-hearted voice of Goku as he landed a few meters behind the edge of a jagged cliff. "And, what do you think? Pretty amazing, right?"

In front of him, Vegeta's son from the future landed on the edge with a rather loud thud, his face changing from utter bewilderment to sheer joy as his eyes transfixed themselves on the panorama in front of him.

"This place… it's so beautiful…"

Goku beamed as he watched the swordsman scrutinizing the valley in front of him which was full of verdant, grassy meadows, pristine blue lakes and creeks and surrounded by a snow-capped mountain range in the distance that reached far up into the purple sky. Goku remembered feeling the same kind of joy when he first basked in the warm rays of light which were reflected from the stars beyond by many bright moons. It reminded him of a world in his own universe. One where he and Vegeta fought their hearts out to protect the people and planet they loved from total extinction. Not that it mattered in the end, however.

Goku sighed as he momentarily distracted himself by looking at the beautiful scenery in front of him as well. This was no time for dreary thoughts. Goku's very soul felt reinvigorated to see Mirai Trunks again, even though it was due to horrible circumstance.

"I told you about Darkseid's brother back on Earth, right? Well, he's the one who showed us this place. It immediately reminded us of a planet in our universe."

"The Sacred World of the Supreme Kai…" Trunks immediately answered as he turned to Goku with a pensive look on his face.

"Huh, so you've met him too?" Goku asked as he walked over to the young man.

"He came to me in desperation. Said that an ancient wizard named Babidi sought to revive a malevolent demon by the name of Majin Buu, who laid waste to the universe eons ago." Trunks stated as Goku stood next to him.

"Yeah, he was really, really strong. Gave me a far harder time than Cell ever managed to, despite his superior fighting skills." Goku smiled as a rush of memories flooded his mind.

"Wait, Majin Buu got revived in your time?! But how? The Supreme Kai told me that Majin Buu was far more powerful than even the likes of Babidi's henchman Dabura, who I couldn't even manage to hold my own against! It was only until I managed to ascend during my fight with that Demon King that I could destroy him and the wizard for good." Trunks answered with a shocked look on his face as Goku gave him a cheeky grin in return.

"And how are you even alive in the first place? Didn't you want to remain at Otherworld?"

That question caused Goku to pause for a moment. He needed a bit of time to recall it, because it was already so long ago.

"Yeah, thought that it would be more peaceful on Earth. And I guess I wanted to train there too." Goku sighed as he turned to Trunks. He wasn't someone who dwelled on the events that transpired around him, but even he felt guilt upon knowing that he could've spend more time with his family had he decided to be wished back. He wondered though, would things have changed if he was revived as well?

"Man, everything feels like a blur. Can't believe it has already been five years since I last saw my Earth." Goku finally said as he started to levitate. "Look, I know you are itching to get some answers, but why don't we discuss all this with a bit of food? There's a lake close by from here that is full of gigantic fish, and I am starving!"

Goku saw Trunks nodding in understanding before the kind-hearted Saiyan took off. He needed some peace of mind in order to recollect all those memories, and the thought of food was perfect for his mood. He was sure he was able to monologue for a bit when his stomach wasn't rumbling so much.

* * *

 _~Planet Oa, Sector Zero~_

Hal grimaced when he slipped out of transluminal travel and into Oan airspace. Normally, streaks of green were common throughout the atmosphere just above the capital, but right now the entire planet was devoid of traffic. Besides the gigantic Central Power Battery, there was only a single bright emerald light visible, which came from around the Central Meeting Hall where lanterns receive their missions and assignments from the 'Corps Administrator'.

"Seems like Salaak heeded our warning and called so many of the corps back. Feels like everyone's abandoned their sector just for this." The brown-haired lantern observed as his friend John flew over to him with a small spaceship in tow.

"You cannot be too prepared, Hal. Not with him. He was holding his own against practically the entire League, yet did so without so much as lifting a finger." John stated grimly as they slowly descended towards surface. Hal sighed in return as he momentarily turned to the spaceship behind him. He gave the person in the cockpit a scrutinizing look, but Vegeta had no eyes for him. Instead, he was looking at his monitor with an unreadable expression, his hands clasped into each other. To think that a small man like him could wield power capable of going toe to toe with all-powerful gods such as Darkseid would've been the joke of the century to Hal, had he not first experienced it first-hand.

"But I do wonder why Salaak decided to call back thousands of us just for this occasion. How does he know that they're that much of a threat? Our ring's database only has stories and tales of their actions and whereabouts, with the only recorded evidence being-"

"Mongul. Either Salaak is basing this encounter on that single moment, or he's been tasked by the Guardians to filter all the information we have about the Saiyans out of our database. They've hidden Darkseid's files from us as well, and you know just as well as I that the Guardians know about his existence. As a Guardian of the Universe, you do not simply overlook someone of that calibre." John stated through gritted teeth. "Lots of things aren't adding up, but maybe this confrontation could spark some answers from the Guardians themselves."

"Oh it will. I'm going to make sure of that." Hal growled. And not only about Darkseid. He will know the truth about Vegeta.

It took a small moment, but eventually Hal and John landed on a large, open bridge that led to the Central Meeting Hall directly. Vegeta's spaceship landed behind them, the roar of its engines going quiet as Vegeta opened the latch and casually levitated out of it.

When the lithe Saiyan landed, Hal turned to him with a professional, yet threatening gaze.

"I've stated this before, but for your sake I'm saying it again. This is Green Lantern territory, so you'll behave in accordance to our laws. If you ever decide to push your luck, there's a cosy little sciencell waiting for you."

"Hmph, I would like to see you try. I want my answers, and whether you Green Lanterns stand in my way or not is irrelevant. It will be you who decide after all when you find it necessary to contain me. Knowing our previous encounter, however… I don't think that's such a wise choice on your part."

Although Hal wanted to wring the hobbit when a smirk started to protrude from his lips, he kept his composure.

"Well, can't say we didn't warn you, but suit yourself." Hal finally remarked as he turned to John and started to levitate.

"I'll go ahead and brief the others."

As John nodded in affirmation and started his advance, while keeping an eye on Vegeta walking close to him, Hal rushed towards the Central Meeting Hall to make sure everything with his peers and colleagues developed smoothly. After all, some of them were rather impulsive, even more so than 'The Hal 'Highball' Jordan himself.

"Wow, all this ruckus is about some midget, Salaak? Can't believe I had to skip my holiday for this."

Hal smiled as he landed in front of a human with a mop of ginger hair, a broad posture and a wide grin on his face. Next to him stood an individual with four arms, a pinkish and insectoid-like head and stern eyes.

"Lantern Gardner, for the good of the Corps, it is necessary to keep-" Lantern Salaak of Sector 1418 reprimanded, but was quickly interrupted.

"your jokes and general bullshit to a minimum, Guy. Vegeta may not look like much, but he's one of the most dangerous beings I've ever encountered. Beat Superman into a pulp without even trying back on Earth." Hal answered while he momentarily eyed Salaak with a scrutinizing look, but Salaak simply shook his head. This quickly answered the question about Salaak's involvement with Vegeta but in order to know the full story he had to wait it out himself.

Although Hal saw Guy Gardner initially scoffed at that, The first human Green Lantern knew that he could rely on his friend when push came to shove.

"Kyle's not with you, Guy?" Hal then asked as he felt the ground under him starting to rumble ever so slightly.

"Nope, haven't seen him in a while either. Said he had important shit to do a few weeks back with the blues." Guy answered as the two lanterns suddenly heard a low voice speak.

"That the alien who humbled Mongul, right?" A towering behemoth who ever so slightly looked like a bipedal hippopotamus walked over to the trio and eyed the approaching alien carefully.

"Humbled isn't what I would call it, Kilowog, but yes. Trust me on this one guys, do not provoke him, much less engage him in any way." Hal ordered as many of the veteran corpsmen and women turned to him.

"Must be some being if he could smoulder the flame that is otherwise apparent inside you, Jordan." Another large humanoid with skin that looked close to stone replied above him. Hal knew that Lantern Hannu wasn't fond of him, but for some reason he couldn't place why.

"Now's not the time for squabbles or inciting remarks, guys. The 'Saiyan' is approaching." An attractive young woman with short blonde hair, light orange skin and wearing a uniform with a green skirt that was generally different from the usual spandex the corps usually wore.

Hal smiled at Arisia, who gave a wink in return. His relationship with her was a rather strange one so to speak. He remembered his time with her fondly, but preferred not to speak about it.

"He looks… surprisingly at ease for someone who's being surrounded by at least a thousand Green Lanterns at once. It makes me want to remind him who he's dealing with." Kilowog grumbled with a hint of anger in his deep voice as Hal momentarily eyed the Corps' 'Drill Instructor' and trusted friend.

"He's from a different universe, remember? We don't know shit about him and what kind of man he was back there, but from my experience I can tell that he's dangerous, and has no qualms about killing people who stand in his way." Hal ended as he watched John and Vegeta finally approach the Central Meeting Hall. While Vegeta continued walking, John moved behind the man rather subtly, to make sure that the onyx-haired warrior was completely surrounded in case he was going to lash out.

For a small moment, it felt like everyone was holding their breaths as Vegeta came to a stop and sized everyone up. Although he had been smirking initially, his face started to turn into a scowl as his gaze set on Salaak, who decided to step forward.

"The Guardians will arrive here shortly, Saiyan. In the meantime, it is imperative that-" Salaak began, but he was quickly interrupted for the second time today.

"You're not in a position to state demands or requests after your superiors violated the agreement we had, Salaak. I want an audience with them right now, or I'll drag every single one of them out of their citadel myself." Vegeta growled menacingly, while taking a few steps forward. Immediately, countless green dots of light started to brighten around him as many of the green lanterns forced themselves to be noticed, including Salaak.

"POOZERS! STAND DOWN, NOW!"

Hal had to cover his ears when Kilowog's voice bellowed throughout the surrounding area, which forced many of the Green Lanterns to reconsider their threatening display. Of course, many veterans ignored the demand just in case, but refrained from immediately engaging. Even Vegeta, who was normally so arrogant and proud, momentarily turned to Kilowog with a glint in his eyes. Hal almost felt like there was some hint of respect towards one of his old teachers.

As many of the Corps brought their ring down for a moment, Salaak took the opportunity to voice himself again as he lowered the arm where he held his ring as well.

"Know on which grounds you protrude, Vegeta. The Guardians respect your power, but even someone as capable as you will behave in accordance to Oan law. That means that you will have to wait before they are finished with their 'business'."

"What kind of business is more important than him right now?" Hal quietly asked with a hint of frustration in his voice as he turned to Kilowog. His old Drill Instructor was about to respond when the door of the Central Meeting Hall was blown open, revealing an escort of five members who were known as the 'Alpha Lantern Corps'. They were Green Lanterns who willingly subjected themselves to a procedure called cosmic surgery, which made them nothing more than glorified robots in Hal's eyes. What shocked him however, was the shackled individual they kept with them.

"Prince Vegeta, an absolute pleasure."

Gasps of shock and anger were heard by most of the Green Lanterns, but that was nothing compared to the explosion of anger that came from Hal.

"Sinestro!"

Seeing the smirk on the reddish-magenta colored individual as he brushed his black moustache set Hal over the edge, but Kilowog grabbed his shoulder and forced him to stand down.

"We feel you, Jordan. We all share your sentiments, but the Guardians have-"

"decided that Sinestro is more useful to us as a member of the Corps whilst he wields a green Power Ring than when he's accommodating himself in a sciencell." Spoke an emotionless voice that radiated with authority. Hal grimaced as he saw six blue-skinned individuals with large heads and small bodies floating behind a smirking Sinestro. One of the individuals had his gaze on Hal, one the human knew all too well.

Since when did Ganthet sound so… cold as the rest of his kin? He was always the one who showed that not all Guardians distanced themselves from feeling emotions, yet now his entire demeanor had shifted so suddenly that he allowed a bastard like Sinestro back into the Corps.

"So you _will_ stand down, Hal Jordan of Earth, Green Lantern in _exile_."

Hal felt more and more frustrated as Ganthet's words rung through his head. His behaviour was not only unsettling, but Hal had been so focused on dealing with the bullshit regarding the Saiyans that he forgot about Sinestro acquiring a Green Lantern Ring in the first place. And while that heartless bastard was allowed free reign, Hal could only patrol Earth due to the fact that he was accused of committing some sort of crime that he did not remember. How did everything go downhill so suddenly?

His thoughts, however, came to a sudden stop when he heard Vegeta's voice speak.

"Hmph, for someone who was so convinced in the power of _fear_ , you've surely changed your mind rather quickly. It seems all that talk was nothing more than pitiful bravado." The Saiyan taunted as he strode forward, his eyes shifting momentarily to Sinestro whilst he headed towards the Guardians.

"The change, although inconvenient, is only temporary. My offer still stands, of course." Sinestro answered back. Hal and John quickly locked eyes as another mystery was forced upon them. When did Sinestro meet with Vegeta, and when was he offered a yellow ring of his own? This however, did answer whether Vegeta knew more than he let on, and it made Hal furious inside.

"Tch, and subject myself to your 'fearsome' authority? Don't make me laugh! Anyone who relies on flawed tools to make himself stronger will always be a weakling at heart."

"And yet you've failed to acquire the necessary power to avenge what you have lost, while you could've finished it so long ago if you had the 'tools' you so easily disregard."

It wasn't much, but Hal felt momentary relief upon knowing that Vegeta didn't see eye to eye to Sinestro. It could've spelt doom to the entire universe if they had. He watched the two size each other up, with Sinestro being surprisingly calm, despite being inferior in power to the shorter Vegeta by quite some margin.

"But, I digress," Sinestro eventually said with a shrug, while he started to walk away from the Saiyan. "It seems you have something to 'discuss' with our blue friends, while I have some business of my own I need to take care of. Alpha Lanterns, would you be so kind to relieve me of my shackles?"

"Fucking prick." Hal heard Guy say as the Guardians ordered Sinestro to be freed. Boos and angry shouts of disapproval could be heard through the rows upon rows of Green Lanterns, but they were paid no mind.

"You will enforce justice on our terms, Sinestro. You'd best remember that." Ganthet stated as Sinestro was about to take off.

"I do what I must, Guardian. Whether that's under your approval or not is of no concern to me. Besides, I believe it is wise to start paying attention to our mutual 'friend' over here. He's not one for patience, as we know all too well."

With that, the Korugarian blasted off into space, probably heading back to Sector 1417, which had been his very sector before he was banished into the Antimatter Universe all those years ago.

As Sinestro's departure finally settled in, everyone's eyes turned back to Vegeta, who had been seething silently after his dispute with Hal's nemesis. His onyx eyes were plastered onto the Guardians, who were just as displeased at the sight of the Saiyan.

"Vegeta of the Unknown Sectors, Prince of an extinct race, your appearance here has breached the contract we have faithfully upheld-"

Before one of the Guardians could even finish his sentence, a gust of wind started to erupt from Vegeta as a white aura started to become visible.

"Mock me at your own peril, Guardian, and playing the victim will not help your case. I have upheld my end of the bargain the moment we agreed upon the contract, unlike you disgusting lot."

Hal unconsciously scratched his head as he felt a certain hint of déjà vu when Vegeta was leaking his power as his temperament rose. Although many Green Lanterns wanted to react, in the presence of the Guardians themselves many felt obligated to at least wait for their orders.

"State your words more carefully the next time you open your mouth, Saiyan. We have fought and overcome foes who were far stronger and far more dangerous than you'll ever be. We will not tolerate such vulgarity a second time." Answered another Guardian. While Vegeta merely scoffed at that, another Guardian continued the conversation.

"You have made a rather audacious claim, which begs the question…"

Hal watched Vegeta closing his eyes as the six Guardians started to float towards Vegeta, but remained a few meters away from him, not willing to get too close.

"What have we done that incited your… primitive mind of treason? You came here, with a heart full of rage and grief, determined to wage a war that you could never win, expecting our help. A broken man, ready to gamble on all life in this universe for his own egotistical desires. A mere, petty feeling of vengeance."

Although he thought the Guardians were right in this case, Hal couldn't help the gnawing feeling bubbling inside him upon hearing his superiors' callous dismissal of Vegeta's emotions. From what he had been told, he watched his entire world die out, including his family. The Green Lantern Corps was formed to combat such events of tragedy, yet the Guardians merely gave him the stink eye. Even Ganthet looked to be in full agreement, which was completely out of character.

"Petty, huh?" The Emerald Knight could hear from Vegeta, who's head sank as his arms slackened. Meanwhile, the Guardians simply continued.

"And if you think we would change our views on the matter after such a small amount of time, we will have to disappoint you again, especially upon knowing what kind of person you are."

"Guys, prepare yourselves." Hal whispered towards the Lanterns around him. He could feel it in his spine, that horrid tingle he used to feel during a climax of a perilous encounter.

"You're a monster, Vegeta. A murderer who reeks of the blood of innocents. Men, women, even children, they were all the same to you. Despite what you force yourself to believe, you are no better than the cosmic being who slaughtered your wi-"

Hal generated as much willpower he could muster to generate a shield for himself, because he knew what had been coming. His friends however, did not react as quickly despite his warning.

"PETTY, HUH?!" Echoed the infuriated voice of Vegeta as a huge explosion of golden energy erupted around him. Green Lanterns, even experienced ones, were blasted away like mere ragdolls, and the bridge that lead to the Central Meeting Hall started to crack.

Hal quickly recovered from his daze and immediately rushed back towards the scene, only to see a transformed Vegeta, clad in a golden aura, holding Ganthet by the throat.

"My wife and son died in my arms at the hands of a god of your world, and you call my grief, my pain, _petty_?!"

Hal immediately generated a construct in order to pry Ganthet from Vegeta's grip, but was quickly swatted away by an energy blast generated from Vegeta's free hand.

"Hal!"

Hal felt a soft, green blanket being wrapped around him as he was saved from falling into the city below by Arisia.

"What is he? My ring can't sense any weapons or cybernetics on him, so how can he be so powerful?" She asked through gritted teeth as the two watched one of the Alpha Lanterns taking the initiative and engaging the Saiyan head on with a group of Green Lanterns beside him.

"His power comes from his soul, or something like that. And unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg." Hal replied as Vegeta blocked a willpower-infused punch from Varix, while keeping a vice-like grip on a struggling Ganthet.

"Every insult you direct at me… I don't care about that. In truth, I probably deserve it…" Vegeta began with a growl as his teal gaze turned to Hal for a moment, while he brutally kicked a few Green Lanterns away from him as he endured a bombardment of constructs.

"But don't you dare disregard the deaths of my family and my world so casually, Guardian! Their deaths, their blood is on your hands! Your negligence is what cost me everything!"

Both Hal and Arisia joined in the fray as Varix finally managed to pry Ganthet from him with a construct that looked like a massive plier, but at the cost of at least a dozen Green Lanterns who all were forced to subject themselves to brutal punches and kicks from the martial artist. Using the opportunity now that Ganthet was freed, Hal and many others quickly forced Vegeta down by creating shackles made of willpower.

With a kick to the popliteal, Vegeta was brought on his knees by Kilowog and Guy as the Guardians sluggishly started to float around the outraged, but momentarily restrained Saiyan.

"You have exhibited crimes of the highest order, Vegeta. There is only one appropriate sentence for that." One of the Guardians growled while clutching his arm as the Alpha Lanterns started to collar him as well, while each holding a rein. Vegeta wasn't focused on them however, but had his teal eyes on Hal. He wasn't done yet with his monologue it seems.

"You of all people should know how it feels to lose everything you love, Jordan."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hal demanded, surprised at being called by his last name by Vegeta as he walked over him and stared the bound man down.

"Did you know that the pretentious bastards you subject yourself to could have avoided the tragedy you had to endure when Mongul the first and this… Cyborg Superman destroyed your hometown?"

Hal momentarily turned to the Guardians, who remained emotionless at the accusation, before turning his head back.

"Coast City was never destroyed, Vegeta." He answered while shaking his head.

"You grieved, felt rage upon knowing that you could never hold your loved ones close to you ever again. You recreated the city with your power ring, but the Guardians accused you of acting selfish, and wanted to discipline you."

"Alpha Lantern Boodikka, you are authorized to execute this criminal right away." One of the Guardians suddenly spoke up, shocking the Green Lanterns around him.

"Guardians, with all due respect," Salaak began, but he was immediately shushed quiet by his superiors, who looked incredibly agitated. Although the Green Lanterns started to hush amongst themselves, some even expressing their feelings regarding this, Vegeta simply shook his head in disappointment.

"You and the rest of the Corps may not remember, but the Guardians most definitely do. Don't you want to know what they kept from you? Allow me to 'freshen up' your memory a bit further."

The Emerald Knight wanted to bash Vegeta's skull in as he continued to use his silver tongue to patronize him, but for some reason he couldn't. Slowly but surely, his head started to pound, with images of events that never happened as far as he knew flashing through his mind.

"Boodikka, do it now!" Another Guardian roared, which resulted in Boodikka creating a green sword of willpower.

"No, you have no right to execute someone without a trial!" Arisia argued as she stood in front of the mechanized Bellatrixian, but she was forced back by the other Alpha Lanterns.

"Oh no, I'm someone who likes bending the rules to suit me, but this is going too far." Guy Gardner growled as he helped Arisia by standing in their way. Many of the other Lanterns agreed, but there were others who restrained their kind upon acting against the Guardians' orders.

"What is he talking about, Hal?" John walked up to his friend, while Hal kept clutching his head as Boodikka continued her advance towards Vegeta, who continued his monologue.

"Just like what they told me moments ago, the Guardians found your pain, your anguish, 'petty', unfitting of a member of their they did not realize however was that their cold disregard weakened your will, which in turn could be exploited by a being trapped in your Central Power Battery. A being 'they' trapped inside themselves! A failsafe to make sure they could take on any of their corps members had any of you realized how little they cared about their universe and its inhabitants, but more about their need to be the center of all things, the most important individuals throughout the cosmos!"

Images of Hal murdering his way through his fellow comrades started to surface, and he felt himself grow nauseous.

"Boodikka, silence him!" Was what Hal heard as Boodikka pushed him and John away and readied her blade.

"Their heartlessness is what made you lose everything you love, which created a monster, who called himself-"

The moment Vegeta wanted to utter out a name, Boodikka sliced her blade right through his neck. Her blade of willpower shattered on impact, but Vegeta's golden aura disappeared as his head fell lifelessly down. The entire Corps grew silent immediately afterwards.

"W-What? Ganthet, what was he talking about?" Hal asked as he felt anger coursing through his veins for some reason. Ganthet and the other Guardians wanted to speak, but their voices grew silent when Vegeta's head suddenly jerked up, his eyes having never lost the teal.

"Parallax."

Hal Jordan's head felt like bursting as a flash of yellow light burst through him. This distracted enough members of the corps for Vegeta to ignite himself into a devastating explosion. This one was far stronger than the first, and obliterated every single construct that held him down in the blink of an eye. Every single being was blown away, and Hal felt a construct being wrapped around him as John and he landed painfully on the ground.

As they helped each other back up, the two watched Vegeta walking over to them calmly. His golden hair was even more rigid than before, and blue lightning cackled around his golden aura.

"And just like how their arrogance and vanity screwed you over, they inadvertedly did that to me as well."

In the blink of an eye, not unlike how the Flash tends to disappear, Vegeta suddenly held a Guardian, this one being nameless, by the throat. Soon thereafter, the other Guardians started floating around the Saiyan, trapped in golden rings made of ki that pulsed as if they were ready to explode.

"W-We did no such thing…" The Guardian choked, but Vegeta merely shook his head with disdain.

"Oh, but I have to disagree. You see, Darkseid wasn't always this strong and mighty. No, he was once young, and a weakling as well." Vegeta began again as numerous Green Lanterns started to surround him again.

"Let them go, Saiyan! Or-" One of the rookie lanterns demanded through clattering teeth. His ring was leaking out unnecessary amounts of willpower, which usually occurs when a Green Lantern is overcome by fear. Vegeta knew this, and decided to exploit it.

"Or what, you ring-slinging wimp?!" The Saiyan inquired in a bemused tone.

"W-we'll kill you!" The rookie answered, his eyes unable to look at Vegeta's burning teal orbs.

"Eventually, yes. I am no match for all of you, but I wonder-"

The lightning around Vegeta's aura started to cackle more intensely than before, while he watched numerous Corps members surrounding him with their rings ready.

"How many of you will fall first? A few dozen, or a hundred? Maybe you lose half of your corps even, because I most certainly won't go down without at least demonstrating what happens to scum who betray my trust! I can assure you, my power will not be so easily forgotten in the aftermath."

It turned deathly quiet as Vegeta stared everyone down, nobody daring to even move a muscle. If they did, they knew what would happen after all.

"Vegeta, you don't want to do this." Hal eventually growled, almost pleading as he forced himself to ignore his headache.

"Are you really certain of that? Just like how they allowed Mongul to destroy your world, they made a pact with Darkseid billions of years ago to give him free reign over the multiverse, as long as he did not interfere in matters concerning the Guardians directly. Had they acted as they should have, being the benevolent sages of justice they claim to be, my family would still live."

Vegeta looked ready to let the rings constricting the Guardians explode, but stopped at the last minute as he shook his head.

"But I am not here to educate you on matters concerning your masters, Jordan. I merely seek compensation from them because of their breach of contract. After they refused to help my cause in seeking justice for my family, despite their indirect involvement, we would part ways. No Green Lantern or anyone else under the Guardians' authority would interfere with my business, which they have not kept."

"How did they breach the contract then, because no Green Lantern has encountered you after you and Hal fought Darkseid back on Earth." John asked as Hal watched the many Lanterns whispering amongst themselves.

"Allow me to show you then." Vegeta simply answered as a small capsule appeared out of one of his gloves. He clicked on a small button and threw it to the ground. In a fraction of a second, the capsule exploded and a wave of scrap metal erupted from it, forcing many of the Green Lanterns back.

"Manhunters?!" Hal exclaimed in astonishment as waves upon waves of broken Manhunters were laying motionlessly on the ground. He saw the Guardians' expression turning grim as Vegeta grabbed one of robots, pried its head open and grabbed a small part of the circuit.

"I was on the planet Kakarot and I called home, minding our own business, when waves upon waves of these pieces of scrap metal descended upon the skies. They kept shouting the same infuriating sentence, and were programmed to destroy us. We decided to track them down, and found an entire planet used as a factory to build these tin cans. Before we decided to annihilate it until it was nothing more than a cloud of dust, we investigated its surface. We found and dismantled their 'leader', and found this message encrypted inside his skull."

The entire Green Lantern Corps on Oa watched as a holographic image of the six Guardians appeared.

" _Manhunter, we have activated you for one purpose only. Use whatever you can salvage on the planet Ryut and use it as a base to wage war against the Saiyans. They are an insidious and mysterious variable, detrimental to our cause and plans for this universe. Thus, we want them destroyed. Do it discreetly, as we have programmed you to do."_

"Very discreet were they, advancing with thousands of individuals at once, thinking that they could wipe out us of meagre flesh and blood. It seems you lot haven't done your homework as thoroughly as I did." Vegeta mocked as he threw the piece away as he watched an uproar taking place between the various lanterns.

"W-What do you want, Vegeta?" The Guardian that was still in Vegeta's grasp asked desperately.

"Two things. I want every file you have on Darkseid, his brother, and the rest of the New Gods. You can transmit those files to my spaceship. Secondly, I want our contract to be recommenced, which also means that you will allow me safe passage out of this damnable planet."

Hal gritted his teeth as watched the Guardians looking at each other, before they nodded at Vegeta.

"Agreed. Now please, release us." Each of them consented as they all turned to their Corps.

"Green Lanterns, you will stand down. Go against our authority, and you will be subjected to disciplinary actions by the Alpha Lanterns."

As Hal and the rest of the Green Lanterns begrudgingly lowered their rings, Vegeta let go of the Guardians as well and dissolved the energy rings around their necks. The Saiyan did remain powered up, however, which was a smart thing to do considering the demeanour of some of the Lanterns.

"Now then, I shall take my leave. Cross me again, and I will not be so lenient the next time."

As Vegeta slowly made his leave, many of the Lanterns turned to the Guardians for an explanation, but they merely retreated with the protection of the Alpha Lanterns around them.

"Hmm, this is an unsurprising development." Kilowog grumbled as he walked over to Hal. "You alright, chump?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hal answered with a sigh, while he watched John and Guy interrogate Salaak on his involvement, while keeping members such as Hannu away from the four-armed Corps' Administrator. The aftermath of this encounter was going to be felt for a long time, knowing that the Guardians kept them out of the loop yet again.

"But something doesn't sit well with me." The brown-haired human ended as he walked away from Kilowog to pursue Vegeta. Some of the Green Lanterns actively tried to follow him, but refrained from acting when Kilowog held them all back.

"Vegeta!" Hal called when he was close enough, and subsequently grabbed the man by the shoulder rather impulsively.

"What do you want?" He asked as he turned around agitatedly.

"What do you know that we don't? Coast City was never destroyed, yet when you claimed it to be, the Guardians shuddered at the mention. And why the hell did you call me Parallax, the Emotional Entity of Fear?" At that question, Vegeta merely smirked.

"I have no obligation to tell you anything." The Saiyan replied dismissively as he turned away, but Jordan held strong, despite feeling Vegeta's lightning crackling around his hand. It was a foolish thing to force his will upon this man, knowing how strong and dangerous he is, but Hal needed answers.

"Yes you do! You lied to us back at the Watchtower, and you expect us to help you find those 'Dragon Balls' after all that hypocritical bullcrap you pulled?"

Hal felt a crushing grip on his wrist as Vegeta slowly started to float as their heads came only inches from clashing against each other. Despite Hal's indomitable will, he felt himself starting sweat at Vegeta's overwhelming power.

"I never asked for your help, Lightbulb. It was Kakarot's idea. Besides, I never lied to you." The small alien answered as he let go of Hal and landed back on the ground.

"But you left practically every detail out about your life, so just between you and me," Hal growled as he crossed his arms.

"What the Guardians said about you, was it true?"

"I have killed a few people here and there, yes."

"But were you a murderer, damn it?! The Guardians called you a monster, a slayer of innocent men, women and even children! Do you have that kind of blood on your hands?!" Hal shouted as his ring started to pulse brightly. Vegeta gave him the death stare, but the impulsive lantern held his ground.

"What I may or may not have done in the past is of no concern to you, Lightbulb."

"As one of the Justice League members who agreed to help your cause, it definitely is, Vegeta. I want to trust you, but then I want to know who the fuck I'm sticking my neck out for. Some people aren't as naïve as the princess back home."

Hal noticed Vegeta's body tensing up at the mention of the Amazon, which he found surprisingly odd. An agitated snarl not directed at him appeared on his face, but quickly vanished into an apathetic scoff.

"You're a fool for wasting your time in trying to figure me out, because in the end it doesn't matter. The only thing you should concern yourself with is finding the Dragon Balls." Vegeta simply answered as his usual, arrogant demeanour returned.

"And why is that?" Hal asked through gritted teeth.

"Because when that happens, you'll never hear from me again. I will be back home, far away from this disgusting universe. Far away from an annoying insect like you." Vegeta ended as he started to walk away.

"And what if that doesn't work?"

"It will."

"Oh, really?" Hal answered as he levitated back in front of the small alien with a bemused smirk on his face. "You called my ring a 'flawed tool', yet you have full confidence in something ridiculous like a wish-granting dragon."

At that remark, Vegeta momentarily stopped walking and clenched his fist. His aura started to rise, pushing Hal slowly away from him.

"It'd better work." The Saiyan growled as he started to walk again.

"Or what?" Hal finally asked as Vegeta went into his spaceship.

"Or your universe's going to pay the price."

With that ill omen, Vegeta blasted off into the cold, dark regions of space, leaving Hal with an alarmed expression on his face.

"Damn it princess, do you even realize what you have gotten yourself into?" Hal muttered as he shook his head in disbelief. Vegeta never stated it directly, but Hal received enough clues regarding the Saiyan warrior that he was far from the noble warrior of justice Diana made him out to be. In truth, Vegeta might belong to the worst of the worst. The question that immediately went through his mind afterwards was whether his son and his friend Goku were of the same stock, but investigating that detail wasn't currently his top priority.

"I don't like him." Hal suddenly heard as Kilowog landed next to him.

"That makes two of us." He answered back as he felt Kilowog's large hand grabbing his shoulder gently.

"But at least we don't have to worry about him anytime soon. We have more important matters that need to be settled right now. Our Corps is falling apart."

The pink behemoth pointed at the Central Meeting Hall, where numerous lanterns were either arguing, treating the wounded, or even coming to blows with each other.

"You can deal with it, right?" Hal asked as he let his ring flash for a moment.

"You think that poozer shit the alien sprouted holds any truth? Come on Hal, if you were once possessed by Parallax, we would have known. The Book of Oa would have recorded it as well." Kilowog interjected, but Hal shook his head.

"When he called me Parallax… I felt memories pounding through my head. Memories that didn't make sense, yet felt disturbingly real. I need to find out what he knows."

"Hmm, and who's supposed to know that who's willing to tell you?" The pink behemoth asked, only to shake his head in bemusement upon noticing the glint in his friend's eyes.

"You can't be serious."

"He knows, Kilowog. And he's the only one I can get information out of, even if it's going to cost me heavily. Trust me, okay?"

"Hmph, if the Guardians find out,"

"I'm already 'exiled', so what's the worst that can happen?"

Although Kilowog looked visibly irritated at Hal's decision, he eventually conceded and gave his friend a silent nod of approval. Hal simply watched as the Corps' Drill Instructor left him alone, to which the emerald knight immediately used the communication device in his ring. What Vegeta told him regarding Parallax, this was not something he could simply overlook, and there was only one man who would be willing to tell him, for a price.

" _Well well, I did not expect such a fast call, knowing of your dim-witted stubbornness. Consider me surprised."_

"Shut up, Sinestro. I know you listened in on this conversation, and considering that you were the first Fear Lantern, only you know all there is to know about Parallax."

" _And you expect me to tell you that out of the 'goodness' of my heart?"_

"As if there is anything good left in that rotten core of yours. Let's deal, and tell me what you want."

" _Come to Korugar, and your primitive brain might find out."_

Hal sighed as he blocked his transmission with Sinestro, whom he heard laughing from his end just moments before he ended the call. A sinister feeling of dread flashed through his spine for a moment upon recalling the words Vegeta ended with before he left off.

"After I know what you were talking about, I'll find out who you truly are, Vegeta." And depending on the results, he will decide whether he would offer his help or let him rot in a sciencell for his potential crimes.

* * *

 _~Planet Shenlong, the Unknown Sectors~_

A crushing feeling of disbelief coursed through Trunks as he and Goku were sitting around a campfire, inside one of the caves of a large mountain. He was visibly upset from the things Goku had told him that happened in the past, especially about one thing.

"I can't believe father would even think of sacrificing his free will for a power boost, especially under someone as horrible as Babidi." The swordsman sighed as his appetite disappeared entirely. He saw Goku stuffing his face with half-burned pieces of fish, while his onyx eyes were still plastered on the swordsman intently. Trunks used that opportunity to get everything off his chest.

"I mean, it doesn't make any sense. In the rare moments we did speak in the Room of Spirit and Time, he told me that he was never going to yield to someone ever again. He hated serving under Frieza and thought he deserved to rise to the top. He would be his own master, never to be shackled again. To hear you saying that he willingly subjected himself to Babidi just because he thought he was inferior to you feels like nothing has changed." Trunks ended dejectedly, but his head perked back up as Goku shook his head.

"Come on, Trunks. Vegeta deserves a lot of credit, you know. Trying to change the way you have lived and becoming a good guy after everything he went through is a lot more difficult than people think. And in the end, he even became one! Yeah, he was under Babidi's 'Majin' spell, but he was never really under his control. He even sacrificed himself to save the Earth!" The messy-haired Saiyan answered as he expectantly looked at Trunks' food.

"Majin Buu really made him test his resolve and priorities, and I wouldn't be here were it not for him. He made some crazy decisions, but in the end he chose his family. He chose you." Goku pointed out, his voice radiating with surprising maturity. Despite hints of his usual joyful, happy-go-lucky nature coming out, Trunks noticed that Goku was far more reserved and serious than he remembered. Even for an unbridled optimist like him, the loss of his family and world could change the way you look at life. At what Goku said regarding his father, Trunks couldn't help but smile.

"Heh, I guess you're right." He answered as he threw his food gently, which Goku easily caught. Vegeta was many things, and people easily labelled him as cold, callous and even a monster. But Goku was right, his father was a good man in the end, and that was something to be proud of.

For a small moment, the two Saiyans remained quiet, simply enjoying the atmosphere in the warmly-lit cave. It almost felt like he was back home again, drinking coffee with his mom without a care. A haunting thought pulled him out of that serene state of mind, however. There was something bothering him, and maybe Goku had an answer.

"Hey Goku," Trunks began as he noticed his friend absent-mindedly engulfing the last of his food.

"How did you guys arrive in this universe in the first place?"

At that question, Goku turned eerily quiet. He even stopped chewing, and instead opted to immediately swallow his food. Trunks continued his train of thought as Goku got his bearings.

"When that monster appeared on my Earth, I was still recuperating from my fight with Babidi and Dabura. A huge army of flying 'demons' appeared, and I tried to intercept them, to no avail. When Darkseid found me, I was beaten senseless. Couldn't remember anything other than being chained and teleported to his homeworld which was named Apokolips. I lost conscious when I could only see hellfire."

Goku had a pensive look on his face as Trunks continued to speak, but otherwise didn't really say anything.

"But something happened. Before I even realized what was wrong, I landed on this Earth instead of Apokolips. My mind was broken, and I was unable to think straight. Then I was just tired, and sometimes I felt pain. Turns out I was captured by humans, but you and dad saved me." And of course those others. Rachel, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin… Even the orange woman, Kori.

"It was like, someone managed to free me and send me to this Earth, but other than that I have no idea."

"I feel you, Trunks. It was the same way for us. Everything's kind of a mess." Goku stated solemnly as his gaze darkened slightly. Trunks leaned forward to eye Goku with more intensity.

"Something similar happened?" Now that he thought of it, Goku hadn't told him what happened on his earth at all, so Trunks was extra alert to hear every single detail.

"Vegeta didn't want me to tell you until he came back, but he's taking a bit long so..." Goku began as he suddenly stood up.

"Goku, what are you doing?" Trunks asked as Goku placed his hand on the youth's forehead.

"Remember that King Kai thought me how to read minds? Well, I've been practicing to connect my mind to other people, because Vegeta thought it would be a good idea in case someone was eavesdropping on us. I think my thoughts speak more than what I could possibly tell you." The messy-haired Saiyan said as he looked at Trunks expectantly.

"Goku… If you knew how to do this, why didn't you tell me sooner? It would have saved us a lot of time." Trunks asked, to which Goku merely laughed sheepishly.

"Aha, I kind of forgot about it! I'm not very good with it yet either, and it has a few drawbacks when sharing lots and lots of information, but I guess it can't be helped. If you want me to stop, just say it, okay?" Goku ended as he started to focus.

"Now, close your eyes."

Trunks did what he was told and before he knew it, he felt a fierce migraine rocking his brain. He wanted to push Goku's hand away, but the images coursing through his head were too intense, too emotional…

He didn't have a sense of the amount of time that had transpired, but eventually the migraine stopped. A trickle of blood leaked from his nose, and he suddenly heard a thud.

"Goku!" Trunks yelled as he kneed in front of his friend. The full-blooded Saiyan was in a daze, his eyes were bloodshot and he was clutching his head in pain.

"That's the drawback… C-can't do this too much, so t-talking is usually better…"

As Trunks pulled his friend up, he couldn't help but pull him into a fierce hug.

"I'm so sorry…" Was all the lavender-haired Saiyan could say as Goku meekly returned it.

"Yeah, me too."

And Goku was right. Words couldn't really describe what happened. So many things were occurring all at once, so many cruelties were taking place, so much power was rocking the planet… And in the end, they just lost.

"Even fusion didn't work…" Trunks murmured dejectedly. Despite the huge amount of power Goku and his father possessed, it was still not enough. From what he saw however, there was no wonder why they lost.

"And after all that, we woke up in a floating city called New Genesis, which was Highfather's world. He told us that Darkseid was attacking Earth, which is the reason why those superheroes know of us. From there, you know the rest. Well, most of it." Goku ended as he returned to a seating position.

"Did this Highfather 'gift' you this planet? You called it Shenlong when we first arrived, and how were you able to teleport here in the first place?" Trunks asked, still clutching his head.

"Well, there is this vague energy signature that is constantly leaking from this world. Like it's, well, alive I guess? Highfather couldn't sense it because he never heard of ki in the first place, but Vegeta and I did. As for the name… Your dad came up with it when we found one of these golden Dragon Balls in a temple right under the largest mountain on this world. You should see it for yourself when you have some time. Really crazy stuff."

Trunks' mind was racing at the reminder that there were Dragon Balls scattered throughout this universe. The fact that no one, not even a god knew about the power these orbs held was utterly strange, something that needs to be investigated. Not only that, but when Goku mentioned that this planet felt alive, he couldn't help but notice it as well. It was faint, but he could feel it from literally everything that was around him. It didn't matter whether the material was organic or not, it felt all the same.

Trunks wanted to suggest heading there, but a powerful energy signature suddenly alerted him. A smile appeared as he and Goku immediately stood up, but he also couldn't help but notice just how much stronger he felt than he remembered.

"I sense father, but his ki feels… angry."

"Yeah, wonder what happened over there." Goku mentioned as his eyes darkened slightly. As the two headed out to greet Vegeta, who had just landed with his spaceship nearby, they noticed that he was seething with rage. He wasn't even transformed yet, but Trunks already found it difficult to fully gauge his father's power.

"Yo, Vegeta! How'd it go?" Goku asked, but Vegeta looked less than pleased by the inquiry, and promptly ignored it even.

"Trunks, follow me." The Prince of all Saiyans ordered as he was already turning around, only to be stopped by Goku.

"Whoa, Vegeta, take it easy. What happened over there?" The messy-haired Saiyan asked again, to which Vegeta just sighed as his hair lost his golden sheen.

"I don't want to talk about it." Was all he said, but Trunks was surprised at the fact that Goku held on. From what he remembered, his dad would've tried to punch Goku in the face immediately if he was being stopped in his tracks like this. But after all they went through together, he shouldn't really be that surprised that Vegeta was considerably more amicable towards his taller compatriot.

Not. Now. Kakarot." Vegeta merely growled as he pulled himself free and rapidly gained speed. Goku had a worried expression plastered on his face as he turned to Trunks momentarily, but eventually shrugged as the two decided to follow him.

It took a bit of time, but the trio eventually went beyond the beautiful green valley and into a brown, barren landscape that was full of artificially-made craters. Trunks quickly realized that this looked like the old-school training grounds from when he sparred with Gohan.

"What have you already told him, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked as he stood ten meters or so away from them.

"Well, practically everything, I think." Goku mused as he placed his hands on his hips. This seemed to satisfy Vegeta, who immediately turned his gaze towards his son.

"Good, then we already have that out of the way. As for you my son, we're not here to fight, or spar even, as you may have initially thought. I wish we could have done that, but that clown over there deemed it more necessary for me to train some blasted human than to help you ascend to greater heights!"

Trunks inwardly smiled as Goku walked backwards with an awkward chuckle, while his father looked less than amused.

"Instead, I want you to demonstrate your maximum might. Show me how strong you've become, and I'll know how far you still need to go." Vegeta ended as crossed his arms in expectation.

Of course, there would come a point where Trunks had to show off how strong he'd become. He was curious how powerful Goku and his dad were as well. As of now, he had only felt glimpses. Although he was rather sure that he was getting a disapproving look from his dad, he couldn't help but feel excited at the feeling of familiarity of the situation.

"All right, I'll show you!" Trunks growled as he widened his stance and clenched his fists. It took a few seconds, but eventually the very earth started to rumble as a white aura that shifted to a dull yellow appeared around him. A few moments later, Trunks started to yell as his Super Saiyan transformation flared to life. He didn't stop at that, and large cracks started to form into the ground as Trunks' yell turned into a fierce roar. Pebbles and even boulders started to levitate around the swordsman as he forced himself to unleash everything he had got.

A crack of lightning thundered into the ground next to Trunks as his muscles bulged, ripping the red T-shirt he had been wearing, and his teal eyes turned even more fierce than before. With a deep huff, he relaxed as he showed off his Super Saiyan Two transformation.

"This is all I've got." The (normally) lavender-haired warrior said as his spiky hair waved calmly from the wind his golden aura was generating. He saw Goku looking visibly impressed, while Vegeta only gave a solemn gaze.

"Wow, Trunks! You were even stronger than us in our Ascended Super Saiyan forms back when we fought Majin Buu! I think you might have been able to defeat him with just this transformation!" Goku complimented gleefully.

"The fat one, yes, but the tall one and even the child would still win." Vegeta then mentioned, to which Goku nodded with a shrug.

"Still, it's pretty strong." Goku argued as he turned to his friend.

"But not strong enough. Not against _him_." The Prince growled back as he walked away from Goku and readied himself.

"Watch this, son. Feel my power, and prepare yourself for what's to come. This is what I want you to achieve as soon as possible."

Trunks didn't really know what to expect, but when Vegeta casually turned into a Super Saiyan at first, he couldn't believe what he was feeling.

"No way… A mere Super Saiyan… and already so strong?" Trunks muttered bewilderedly. Vegeta felt just as strong as him when he was in his Super Saiyan Two form, and he hadn't even transformed beyond that yet!

"Already impressed? You shouldn't be, because this is only a glimpse, the tip of the iceberg. There's a whole lot more yet to come…" Vegeta smirked as his muscles bulged, and bluish lightning started to cackle around him. What surprised Trunks even more was the fact that barely anything around his father was collapsing under the huge amount of power he was generating.

"Trunks, I think you should stay a bit closer to me." Goku suddenly said as he landed next to the young man. "Because Vegeta isn't as good with the form as he wants to admit."

Trunks had no expectations on what was going to happen next, but even then his mind was blown away when a blood-curling scream erupted from Vegeta. The purple skies darkened in color considerably as clouds started to swirl around the Prince. Lightning struck the ground across the landscape and the Earth started to shake heavily. Cracks that formed in the ground turned larger and larger, and Trunks felt the wind generated by his father forcing him back. He was still transformed himself, but Goku had to grab his arm and transform as well in order to keep the two standing.

"RAAAAGGGHHH!" Was all Trunks could hear as a final explosion erupted from Vegeta. After that, the skies turned clear again rather abruptly as the scream's epicentre settled down.

"W-wow…" Trunks gasped as Vegeta revealed himself in all his glory. His hair, which was once a flame, was now far longer than normally and arched backwards towards the grounds. The prince's muscles had bulged even more, and for some reason his eyebrows had disappeared. What impressed him the most though was the power he felt. There was simply know limit he could sense!

"So this is Super Saiyan Three… With that kind of power… I feel like you could blow away half the universe if you wanted to…" Trunks whispered, to which Goku shook his head with an amused smile on his face.

"We wish we were that strong. I'd say… around a quarter, more or less? Anyways, this is what I used to fight Majin Buu, but it was far less powerful back then. Let's just say that we have trained a lot ever since we came here."

"And we are going to learn you this as well, but I can assure you that achieving this kind of power is far more difficult than being pushed into a measly Super Saiyan Two." Vegeta continued as he levitated over to the two as his aura settled down.

"Why is that?" Trunks asked curiously, but a glare from Vegeta forced him to think. It took a considerable amount of power to awaken the form, and when he gave his father a closer look, he looked rather strained.

"Ah, so you've noticed, huh?" Goku chimed in as he studied Trunks' face. "Super Saiyan Three is really strong, but you lose your stamina insanely fast!"

"Which means that it is a flawed transformation." Vegeta quickly interjected as he abruptly turned back into his base state. "It can severely impair you when not achieved the proper way. You get much stronger yes, but sometimes it is better to fight with attrition. Always remember that when you finally achieve it and think of relying on it." The flame-haired Saiyan ended.

Trunks turned to the ground, still rather bewildered at the amount of ki he just sensed. He was nowhere near that powerful yet, and just how long did Goku and his dad need to even learn to transform into it? He wanted to ask all this, but insidiously familiar 'boom' sound alerted him of a portal appearing behind him.

"What the?" Trunks began, wanting to power up immediately. Both Goku and his father stopped him, however, and although he obliged, he still felt tension throughout his body.

"Tch, what do you want? You're not welcome here."

Trunks gave a confused glance as a tall man with a golden rod in his hand appeared before them. He wore a strange armor coloured an obsidian black with red outlines, while his breastplate shone with a beautiful gold. Short black hair and a beard that showed tints of grey gave him the impression of a mature and wise visage. He didn't know who he was, but his elders looked at him rather familiarly.

"Pardon my undeclared intrusion of your home, but I had no choice in the matter, Prince Vegeta." The man stated in a confident matter as he stood in front of Trunks, while reaching his free hand towards the swordsman.

"You must be Vegeta's son Trunks. I am Izaya, or 'Highfather' as many have opted to call me. I am a New God, and the ruler of the world known to you as New Genesis, inside the Sphere of the Gods." Highfather introduced as Trunks proceeded to shake the man's hand.

"You're Darkseid's brother?" Trunks asked with a gasp, to which the old man nodded with a sigh.

"Bound by blood, intertwined in a conflict for aeons. Words cannot express how much sorrow I hold for his actions that devastated your lives. I wish I could have prevented it, but it was not to be."

Despite the genuine sorrow and empathy he could feel, Trunks could not deter himself from letting his guard down. He wasn't the only one either, because Vegeta didn't look very pleased either at the intrusion. Goku merely looked on with a lopsided smile though, which was at least a positive.

After the introductions were over, the man quickly turned to Goku and his father, the former lazily placing his hands behind his head while the latter turned his head away from them agitatedly.

"As for your question, there are two things. First of all, the Council of Eight and I haven't heard from you two for some time, so we believed it necessary to check on you and see if anything has happened that I should know of. Maybe evidence of certain activity instigated by that scourge I call 'brother'."

"Ugh, seriously?! Damnable New Gods…" Vegeta seethed as he walked over to the man.

"With all due 'respect', Highfather, but didn't we mutually agree that whenever something of importance has garnered our attention, we would be the ones to initiate contact?" Vegeta asked as he crossed his arms in dismay.

"That is correct, Prince Vegeta. However, I believe that the sudden appearance of your son should have been part of that supposedly 'vital information' I have been asking for."

At that statement, Vegeta irritably looked away as Highfather turned to Goku and Trunks.

"In order to even begin to grasp how Darkseid managed to go beyond the Source Wall to arrive to your universe, I need clues, samples of the energies involved in the process. Fortunately, one of my own people is currently residing on Earth and researching that very subject."

Source Wall? Energies involved? Trunks' mind worked into overdrive to figure it all out, but it only resulted in him shaking his head in frustration.

"Well congratulations, you have found out the world my son from the future came from was destroyed without needing to consult with us first. Anything else you want to talk about which you already know? No, then I will take my leave." Vegeta said mockingly as he turned around, ready to walk away. Before he could talk off, he was stopped by Goku.

"Vegeta, we promised." The messy-haired Saiyan said gently, but Vegeta had no desire to listen.

"Good for you, clown, but I have no desire to participate in this foolishness. Now that I think of it, I don't have the time either, because I need to train some brat because you couldn't keep your mouth shut as always. And considering that I do not possess the technique to travel great distances in an instant, I need time and a spaceship to travel from one place to another."

After Vegeta ended his tirade, Trunks could do nothing but watch as his father already took his leave. Goku merely shook his head, before turning to Highfather.

"Sorry about that. He's even grumpier than usual… But what he said was true though. There isn't really a lot to tell right now. Don't have anything else to say about the Dragon Balls either… But the Justice League of Earth wants to help us."

"The Justice League?" Highfather mused as Trunks noticed his eye twitch. "That's…"

"Uh, weren't we supposed to tell them? We thought it would be a good idea to speed things up…"

"No, that is fine, Goku, but I would have preferred to know of it beforehand. Orion's mission is now moot, but that is a predicament you should not need to worry about."

Trunks watched as Highfather did something with the rod he was holding, as if he was communicating with it, but his eyes eventually turned back to the two.

"Ah, but I am digressing. There is another thing I opted to tell you. A warning, this time, and a potential mission."

"Is it about… you know?" Goku trailed off, but Highfather shook his head and closed his eyes momentarily.

"No, but I am not certain yet. My scientists have found traces of Omega activity across the many worlds that float around the Orrery of Worlds. Normally, I would assume Darkseid to be the culprit, but the traces are… less powerful, less potent. We are still not certain what this means, so I wished to warn you about it for the moment. I might have some more information soon." Izaya ended obscurely as he used his rod to create another 'boomtube'.

"I advise you to be on the lookout for that, Goku, and I will contact you soon regarding this matter when my scientists have come to a conclusion. Until then, I bid you farewell."

Trunks immediately turned to Goku as Highfather disappeared throughout the portal and left no trace of his appearance.

"So that was Highfather…" The swordsman simply mused, uncertain on what to think of him.

"He's a strange one, and your dad doesn't like him at all, but I think he just wants to help. From what he said to us when we first met, he had been fighting his brother for so long, he just wants it to end." Goku shrugged as he started to float. "Anyways, what are you going to do now?"

"Uh, I'm not sure yet…" Trunks stated truthfully. He was going to train his heart out, that was for certain. But other than that, he felt at a loss right now. He could go back to Earth and try to contact Rachel to tell her that he was alright. Then again, how are you going to find a girl whose ki signature was at around the same level as the rest of the population? Nobody other than him, Goku and of course his father relied on ki, so finding her would prove practically impossible.

"I was thinking of getting a bit more food and then take a nap before heading back to Earth to train Superman myself, but you don't have to go with me. You know," Goku began as he tilted his head. "why don't you take a ship from one of the capsules back at the cave and explore this universe a bit? It'll relax your mind before you start training intensively."

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. Thanks Goku, I'll think about it. How do we stay in contact though?" Trunks finally asked as he watched Goku speed off into the direction of the valley. He wanted to chase after him, but when he somehow heard a jovial voice laughing inside his head, he couldn't help but smile brightly as well.

* * *

 _~The Kent Farm, Smallville, the state of Kansas~_

The Earth's full moon shone brightly as its reflected light illuminated the vast fields of agricultural land, that surrounded an abandoned, but not forsaken farmhouse with a barn next to it. Two people were lazily resting on the roof, its gentle slope making sure they wouldn't glide off of it, while watching the stars dancing across the night-sky. Rest they certainly deserved, because even beings as strong as they needed to recuperate from the events that had transpired today.

"Kal, we should've invited Bruce to go with us. It's beautiful out here, and he needs some peacefulness for once in a while. Besides, Gotham City reeks of unsavoury odours, don't know how he manages to tolerate it." A soft, feminine voice spoke as her blue eyes glanced at her companion, which face was fully visible due to the limelight that cascaded down.

"Crime never sleeps, Diana. Especially in Gotham City. Even if we did ask, he wouldn't have come anyway. Now that I think of it, he would even find a way if I literally flew him over here by myself."

Two heavy sighs disturbed the peaceful chirps of crickets for a moment as both Diana and Kal-El forced themselves in a seating position.

"It seems it cannot be helped indeed, although I cannot help but worry about the inevitable breaking point he will encounter if he continues to push himself so much. I feel like my breaking point is already near after all that dribble Luthor spouted at the Congress."

"Don't remind me, he hates my guts. He thinks my very actions, existence even, is what keeps humanity from achieving greatness, a better tomorrow."

"And? Do you believe it?" Diana asked curiously as she played with her shining black hair.

"Well, it certainly kept me awake during certain nights, yes. Had I been without any friends or a loving family, I might have believed it." Clark answered as he turned his gaze towards the stars. "Now, I just wish the world saw through his lies and his manipulations."

Diana could empathize greatly with her friend. The only thing she wanted was for the world to flourish with kindness, compassion and love for each other instead of the greed, hate and indifference that lingered now. Her actions proved that, in her eyes at least. Most of the people at power however, looked at her with envy and hostility. They see her as a threat, an outcast, a foolish child who didn't understand the ways of the world. It didn't matter how many lives she saved, how many supervillains she took down… It only served as fuel for a one-sided hatred, because they feared her power and potential for disaster. It felt like a lost cause at times, especially when the people of Congress make irrational decisions such as paroling Luthor for his supposedly 'good behaviour' and support of humanity as a whole. As John Constantine would have said, it was all utterly poppycock. One thing they did get out of it was that they allowed the Justice League full authority to deal with their alien 'allies'.

"At least we don't have to worry about them going after our new friends." Diana eventually answered as she turned her gaze towards the stars as well. A childish excitement grew inside her at the reminder of what's to come. She loved to fight and spar; it was her people's way of passing the time, staying fit and healthy and to strengthen the bonds with her kin. It was a hobby that was passed down by the earliest of Amazon generations by the guidance of her patron goddesses from the Grecian Pantheon. To her it was the best way of understanding and developing a bond of trust and friendship with the warriors that saved her and her world from devastation.

"Friends? I don't want to sound like a pessimist, but as far as I know being beaten to an inch of your life by someone is not what I would call a 'friend'." Superman chuckled as Diana shook her head.

"Fair enough, but I know they are good people. They simply need some kinship, to remind them that their future is not as bleak as they think it will be. They will find their way back home, I am sure of it. Furthermore, Vegeta beating you up is a good reminder that you are not as almighty as many believed you to be. Your physiology makes you very powerful, but you are a sloppy fighter. Just like everyone else, you need to train to become better."

A cheeky smile appeared on Wonder Woman's face as Kal's expression turned from sheer bewilderment, to sly amusement.

"If I didn't know you better, I would've thought that you just insinuated that you could actually beat me in a fair fight."

"I am not insinuating, oh all-powerful Kryptonian. I _know_ I can beat you." Diana answered back challengingly. She almost exploded in utter excitement when she saw the glint in her dear friend's eyes.

"You didn't just ask me to 'hang out' for the sake of relaxation, huh? Have it your way, Amazon. I wasn't intending to focus entirely on improving myself under Goku's tutelage, but I got to set an example as the strongest man on Earth." Clark smirked as he stood up and started to levitate. Diana did the same and eyed her friend with a challenging smirk as well. Tension between the two looked to be rising, but deflated in an instant as the both of them started to laugh heartily. A warm embrace followed as they simply enjoyed the moment.

"Thank you for inviting me to your old home, Kal. It was wonderful." Diana spoke softly, to which the Kryptonian nodded with a bright smile as the two let go of each other.

"It was my pleasure, Diana. We both needed a bit of serenity after all this. I'm heading back to Metropolis, so I'll see you at the next League meeting. Good luck with your training, you're going to need it!"

In a flash, Clark was gone from the scene, leaving only behind a small breeze. Diana stayed her for a small moment as her thoughts turned to the elusive Saiyans, especially the one who was soon going to train her.

"I don't need Tyche's blessing, for Nike is already smiling down on me."

With a skip in her step, Diana blasted off into the skies, leaving behind a warm linger of exuberance around the uninhabited Kent farmhouse…

* * *

 **Dear readers,**

 **Man, did I take my sweet time. Have to admit, this chapter was (once again) difficult to write. I wanted to cramp in so many details, but I eventually had to leave out a few things. Anyways, before I sign out, I wanted to talk about a few things.**

 **First of all, the idea that Goku could transfer his memories over to another person was purely used as a convenient plot device. I am intending to post Darkseid's invasion as a special chapter, which is already half-way done (lost a huge chunk of the second part, so I still need to re-write that unfortunately). My apologies if that part felt rushed, but writing Goku from Trunks' perspective would've been a lot more bothersome than it already was (so many emotion-tugging lines I needed to write XD), so this was the only solution I could come up with. Also, making a special chapter out of it gives me the ability to give it a sort of better overview (don't know if that makes any sense to you, but I have no idea how to word it otherwise). Lots of stuff going on.**

 **Second of all, I am going to ask you dear readers yet again on whether you felt like the personalities of the various characters were OOC (Out Of Character). I think I did fine, but it's still kind of difficult to gauge it all. Also, do you agree with the power levels? I kind of want to stay as true to the different source materials as possible, but gauging how strong a Green Lantern is compared to a Post-Buu Saga Super Saiyan (plus another five years of rigorous training) is far more difficult than I initially realized. Still, that part was super fun to write.**

 **Third of all, I wanted to clarify that this universe is heavily based on the New 52 line of comics that went from 2011 to 2016 (between Flashpoint and DC Rebirth), which means that a certain someone stole ten years from the DC timeline. What's weird though, was the fact that both the Batman and Green Lantern comic runs simply ignored that part mostly, and just kept continuing with their story. It was an element that I really enjoyed implementing into this story. Gives an aura of mystery, right?**

 **Lastly, I'm writing this all while it's in the middle of the night, so my proofreading skills are probably a lot more sloppy than they already normally are, so I apologize if there are any annoying mistakes (there probably are, considering that punctuation and the overall forming of a sentence isn't really that well-developed).**

 **Anyways, next chapter (and I mean, the one that resumes the story), Goku and Vegeta are going to train Superman and Wonder Woman respectively, Hal Jordan will probably do his thing, and I don't know if you guys read my 'Battle for Odym' story, but that's kind of the path I want to send Trunks on. In any case, the upcoming chapters are going to be a lot less doom and gloom, and probably a lot more action-packed as well!**

 **Thank you for reading all my gibberish, and of course for reading my story. I love to hear from you all. Peace out!**

 **Oh, and one more thing. I have decided to skip the 'Arc' system I wanted to implement altogether, because it was going to cause a lot of problems (particularly with my brain). So basically each chapter will just have a chapter title. Sorry!**


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